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Premier League managers will convene on Monday to discuss the COVID-19 crisis with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe warning that the integrity of England’s top-flight competition is on a knife edge.
Five of this weekend’s ten scheduled matches have already been postponed due to positive COVID tests, and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard revealed a meeting was being organised by the league early next week to tackle the club bosses’ “concerns and unanswered questions”.
Magpies manager Howe is worried the incomplete fixture list makes the league “disjointed” and fears if more games are called off in the coming days, there could be questions around the competition’s integrity.
“I don’t think we want half the games played and half not played,” he said.
“The league really loses something if it becomes disjointed in terms of games played. When you start losing players to COVID then the worry is the competition becomes slightly unfair and I don’t think anyone wants to see that.
“A decision needs to be made to ensure integrity is maintained in the competition. I think it is on a knife edge.
“People want to see a fair league and not disparity in games and players missing.
“I’m desperate to continue the programme myself but the welfare of the players and supporters has to come first.”
Howe’s side are due to face champions Manchester City on Sunday. City’s boss Pep Guardiola cancelled his own pre-match press conference on Friday after himself returning an inconclusive COVID test result, and is awaiting the result of a further test.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not against calling a brief halt to the Premier League amid mounting COVID cases but said: “I just don’t see 100 per cent the benefit of it.
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
“Stopping the league means we stop now for one to two weeks, it means (missing) five to six games. So when do you want to play them?”
Decisions about COVID-19 postponements are taken on a case-by-case basis, but clubs are guided that if 14 or more players are available then permission will not be granted to postpone.
Clubs will be expected to utilise under-21 players with suitable experience in the Premier League, the EFL or overseas.
Tottenham’s match against Brighton last Sunday was the first to be called off for COVID-19 reasons after an outbreak at Spurs.
By mid-afternoon on Friday, 19 matches across the three divisions of the English Football League had also been called off.
© AAP
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