{"id":24459,"date":"2021-12-17T07:07:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T12:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24459"},"modified":"2021-12-17T08:11:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T13:11:14","slug":"call-grow-for-weekends-premier-league-games-to-be-suspended","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24459","title":{"rendered":"Call Grow For Weekend’s Premier League Games To Be Suspended"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Watford’s visit to Burnley is one of nine Premier League games to have been called off in the past week (PA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Premier League is under increasing pressure to suspend this weekend\u2019s entire schedule following a raft of coronavirus-enforced postponements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five of the 10 scheduled matches across Saturday and Sunday have already been called off, taking the total number of postponed top-flight fixtures this week to nine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The English Football League has also been badly hit by the latest wave of infections across the country, with 14 games affected across its three divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the games that were played on Thursday were disrupted. Liverpool were without Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk and Curtis Jones for their win over Newcastle following positive tests for Covid-19, while Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz missed Chelsea\u2019s draw with Everton either through confirmed cases or while awaiting test results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brentford manager Thomas Frank, whose side have had matches with Manchester United and Southampton postponed, led the calls for the top flight to be suspended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frank said: \u201cWe think we should postpone the full round of Premier League games this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCovid cases are going through the roof at all Premier League clubs, everyone is dealing with it and having problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was backed by Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, who said: \u201cI don\u2019t think we want half the games played and half not played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think a decision needs to be made for the benefit of the league to make sure there is integrity through the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everton manager Rafael Benitez said: \u201cThe reality is we have a lot of cases in the Premier League now, so they have to think how to stop that. If not, it could be even worse later on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Premier League has been dealing with requests for postponements on a case-by-case basis and that remains the policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At present, only the games at Aston Villa, Leeds, Wolves, Newcastle and Spurs are due to go ahead this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A statement from the league said its board will \u201cassess a number of factors\u201d in determining whether a fixture can be played. This includes \u201cthe ability of a club to field a team; the status, severity and potential impact of the Covid-19 outbreak at the club; and the ability of the players to safely prepare for and play the match\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency measures, including more frequent testing, wearing face coverings while indoors, observing social distancing, and limiting treatment time, were reintroduced by the league this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EFL has stepped up its protocols as well as confirming clubs will be expected to fulfil fixtures if they have 14 players, including a goalkeeper, available from their registered squads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EFL also released figures revealing 25 per cent of its players \u201cdo not intend\u201d to get vaccinated against coronavirus. So far 59 per cent have been double-vaccinated, with 16 per cent planning to get a jab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue of vaccine uptake has been brought into sharp focus due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp used his program notes on Thursday to make clear his thoughts on the matter and urge players to get jabbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wrote: \u201cI won\u2019t apologize for the view I hold on the vaccination, no matter how unpopular it might make me in certain sections of society. I\u2019m the same privately as I am publicly on this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I come across friends or people I care about in my life away from football and they tell me they haven\u2019t had a jab yet, I do my best to encourage them to listen to experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIgnore those who pretend to know. Ignore lies and misinformation. Listen to people who know best. If you do that, you end up wanting the vaccine and the booster.\u201d<\/p>\n

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