The Premier League have finally released a statement confirming that All games will be suspended until April 4th.
Read their latest announcement here, which has also been backed by the FA, EFL and WSL – meaning all FA Cup, Football League and Women’s games have also been postponed:
Premier League, FA, EFL and WSL have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England
Following a meeting of Shareholders today, it was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on 4 April, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “Above all, we wish Mikel Arteta and Callum Hudson-Odoi speedy recoveries, and everyone else affected by COVID-19.
“In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, The FA and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”
Despite the challenges, it is the Premier League’s aim to reschedule the displaced fixtures, including those played by Academy sides, when it is safe to do so.
In this fast-moving environment, further updates will be provided when appropriate.
The Premier League released a statement last night insisting that ALL games would go ahead as planned, but it seems they finally came to their senses after it emerged minutes later that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta (among many others!) had tested positive for the virus.
An ’emergency meeting’ was then scheduled for this morning as a result, and the situation has only got worse since then, with self-isolation cases at Everton, Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Watford and Chelsea adding to the clubs affected.
In all honesty, it’s a joke that, as of last night, games were set to go ahead this weekend, with all 10 previously scheduled games having the potential to bring over 400,000 fans together over a 3-day period.
We all love football and bleed black and white, but health comes first.
Let’s hope the situation improves over the coming month and games can resume at some point in April – although I suspect the 4th is an ambitious target given the number of new cases now emerging.
