With Covid-19 cases rising quickly among both the general public and footballers, Premier League chairmen have been discussing the potential for a two-week mid-season break.
However, this hasn't been received well by everyone, with former Manchester United legend and current Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville one of those to criticise the idea.
Neville doesn't think that the plan would even make a difference to Covid rates in the division, as players and coaching staff would still have to train for the majority of the two weeks in order to be ready to play when the break ended.
Can we please get this two week circuit breaker thing off the table . The players would have to carry on mixing and training to be ready in 2 weeks for a match. They may get 4-5 days off. What is that going to do . Would have to be a long break to do anything meaningful!
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) December 30, 2020
Almost immediately after the Twitter post from Neville, Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish signalled his agreement.
Bang on!! 👍🏻
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) December 30, 2020
Everton's match with Manchester City was postponed on Monday due to an outbreak among Pep Guardiola's squad, and Sheffield United are also dealing with several players being ruled out by the coronavirus.
On Wednesday the situation worsened, with Fulham v Tottenham the latest fixture to be postponed.
In the aftermath of that decision, the Premier League released a statement syaing that it still has full confidence that the season can be completed as scheduled.
We can confirm that our Premier League home fixture against Fulham, scheduled to take place this evening, has been postponed.#THFC ⚪️ #COYS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 30, 2020
It said: "The match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, due to be played at 18:00 GMT this evening, has been postponed following a Premier League Board meeting this afternoon.
"Fulham lodged a request with the Premier League Board to rearrange the fixture following a significant rise in positive COVID-19 cases, as well as a number of players showing symptoms today.
"The Premier League Board has consulted its medical advisors and the decision to postpone the game has been taken as a precaution and with the health of players and staff as the priority. The group will now be retested immediately.
Sheffield United can confirm the club recorded a number of positive coronavirus tests after the latest round of testing.
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) December 29, 2020
The individuals who have tested positive have now entered into a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and Government guidelines.
"With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the Premier League continues to have full confidence in its COVID-19 protocols and being able to continue to play our fixtures as scheduled.
"The League wishes those with COVID-19 a safe and speedy recovery and will rearrange the postponed fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in due course."
source https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-football-gary-neville-points-out-flaw-in-two-week-premier-league-covid-break-20201230
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