Coronavirus sport news: Premier League ban extended to end of April due to Covid-19
The Premier League could today finalise provisional plans to play out the remaining 92 fixtures
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Premier League clubs attempted to thrash out a plan to complete a season placed on ice by the coronavirus pandemic when they met via a conference call on Thursday. Covid-19 has forced leagues around Europe to be suspended, with England’s top tier now on hold until at least 30 April.
Uefa have postponed Euro 2020 for a year, giving the leagues valuable breathing room to finish the fixtures. Elsewhere, the Ryder Cup in golf looks to be on, still, with Padraig Harrington insisting the September tournament could run without fans.
Here are all the latest happenings from around the world on Thursday as sport contends with the pandemic.
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Premier League clubs attempted to thrash out a plan to complete a season placed on ice by the coronavirus pandemic when they met via a conference call on Thursday. Covid-19 has forced leagues around Europe to be suspended, with England’s top tier now on hold until at least 30 April.
Top-flight fixtures were originally suspended until April 4 at the earliest and the lay-off was extended on Thursday, despite Uefa’s decision to postpone the Euro 2020 finals for 12 months with an aim of creating room for manoeuvre.
The EFL has already announced a £50million short-term relief package to help out struggling lower league clubs during the shut-down, a move which was brought into sharp focus by Scottish Premiership side Hearts’ announcement that it has asked staff to take a 50 per cent pay cut.
In a statement on the club’s official website, Hearts owner Anne Budge said: “In order to try to prevent a staff redundancy programme and to protect as many jobs as possible, I am proposing to implement a club-wide salary reduction programme.
“Given the uncertainty of the whole situation with which we have been presented, we cannot say how long these measures will be in place.”
Sir Matthew Pinsent criticises IOC over handling of Tokyo Games amid coronavirus crisis
Four-time Olympic champion Sir Matthew Pinsent believes it is "folly" for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to insist the Tokyo Games will go ahead.
IOC chairman Thomas Bach said on Tuesday that starting on schedule on July 24 remains the organisation's goal, despite much of the sporting calendar being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think it's the IOC saying we must try and get through if we can, which I have a degree of sympathy with, it just runs counter to what every health authority and government is saying around the world," Pinsent told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"We've seen lockdowns across Europe and across Asia at different timescales but this is coming and the idea that the Olympics are going to carry on regardless I think is folly.
"On a global front we have other priorities and I think the Olympics should at the very least be saying we should postpone or indeed just cancel at this stage and we'll talk about postponement later on.
"I just don't think there's much of a choice at this stage. For much of the European countries as well Asian countries, organised sport in any meaningful way has ceased and that's from government advice.
"I don't see there's any way forward for an Olympic athlete to train effectively even as an individual but particularly in a team environment.
"I just think it's unfair actually, I think it's unfair almost for the Olympics to say we're going to carry on, the Olympics are still happening, we are committed to the Olympics in July, because there are two big forces in an Olympic athlete's life, which is the Olympics and everything else and those two things are pulling in different directions at this moment and it's very very difficult for them individually when they've got that tension in their own heads."
Asked why he felt the IOC was insisting the Games would go ahead, Pinsent added: "I think they feel a responsibility to Tokyo.
"We know having hosted in 2012 that seven-year build up is a crescendo of energy and concentration and effort on behalf of the city and on behalf of the nation and the government, everybody takes a pride in it.
"I know that Tokyo have done exactly the same and actually the financial stakes are much higher for the host city than they are for the IOC."
Pinsent believes the IOC should follow the lead of other sporting organisations which have suspended matches or tournaments in order to give themselves time to assess the long-term situation.
"If you had a decision tree, the first one is are the Olympics going to carry on in Tokyo in July as planned and to me that very soon is going to be a no, a firm no," the 49-year-old added.
"The decision whether to reinstate it in Tokyo, whether it's later in the year or next year or delay by two or four years, is a decision that does not have to happen now. That can take time.
"For an Olympic athlete, ideally you'd want 12 months' notice and so you could say now, 'we're really sorry, the Olympics is not going to happen as planned in July, we are going to assess the situation and announce what's going to happen' which is where most other sports have got to with this."
Only one thing is clear as football tries to cope with the coronaviris crisis: almost everyone is determined to complete the season. When and how are questions that no one can answer.
The Premier League are convening a conference call with all 20 clubs this morning. The English Football League (EFL) held a marathon meeting yesterday. Uefa and Fifa conducted their own conclaves earlier in the week. Everyone wants certainty and clarity, but events are changing so fast it is impossible to satisfy these demands.
For the most part, the game’s participants are eager to present a united front. One of the first tasks on the Premier League agenda will be to ensure there are no more ill-advised interventions like Karren Brady’s call to void the season. The West Ham United executive vice-chairman is not held in especially high regard by her peers and her newspaper column provoked Paul Barber, the Brighton & Hove Albion chief executive, to respond by saying it would be unfair to deny Liverpool the title.
With the coronavirus threat looming large on England’s home test series against West Indies in June, the Caribbean cricket board has offered to host the matches, according to a report.
Several Caribbean nations have reported positive COVID-19 cases but the situation is worse in Britain which has reported more than 100 deaths from the respiratory disease.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Jonny Grave has spoken to his English counterpart and offered to host the three-test series, ESPN cricinfo reported.
“I’ve spoken to Tom Harrison a couple of times in the last few days and assured him that we will be as flexible, supportive and helpful as possible,” Grave told the cricket website.
Players union urge rethink over games in Turkey amid coronavirus pandemic
Players union FIFPRO has urged authorities in Turkey to reconsider the decision to continue playing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fenerbahce are due to face to Kayserispor on Friday before a full weekend of SuperLig fixtures over the weekend.
FIFPRO said on Twitter it has written to the SuperLig and Turkish football federation "asking them to urgently reconsider the decision to continue matches and training during the £coronavirus outbreak.
"Numerous foreign players have contacted us to say they are uncomfortable continuing as £COVID19 spreads."
Premier League ban extended to end of April due to coronavirus crisis
Gladbach players to defer wages to help club staff during coronavirus pandemic
Borussia Monchengladbach players, coaches and directors have agreed to defer their wages in order to help the Bundesliga club and their employees.
The Deutsche Fussball Liga postponed all matches in the Bundesliga until at least April 2 last week amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And to alleviate financial worries for employees at the club, who sit fourth in the table, players have agreed to go without pay during the outbreak.
In an interview on Monchengladbach's official website, sporting director Max Eberl revealed he spoke to the players on Tuesday about the situation and that they were unanimous in their decision.
Eberl said: "I didn't have to explain much. The players know what's going on. The team has offered to forego salary if it can help the club and its employees.
"I am very proud of the boys. Clear signal: We stand together for Borussia, in good times and in bad. They want to give something back to Borussia and also to all the fans who support us.
"The coaching staff joined in, just like our directors and managing directors. These are difficult times and they require special measures."
Gladbach managing director Stephan Schippers also indicated that DFL would be tempted to play matches behind closed doors to ensure the season is completed.
"The goal is for Borussia Monchengladbach to survive this corona crisis and to do that without having to give notice of termination to anyone. In order to achieve this we will all have to work hard together," Schippers said.
"We are experiencing the most difficult situation since 1999 in the Bundesliga and also at Borussia Monchengladbach. We have to say this openly. We expect loss of revenue due to game cancellations, lack of viewer revenue, possibly lost TV revenue and lack of sponsorship money.
"In order to avoid a huge financial hit, the efforts of the league and all clubs are currently aimed at ending the current season in order to secure TV revenue and sponsorship money.
"Bundesliga football without fans is not what we want. But for the next few weeks and months we have to realise that only a continuation of the Bundesliga games - without spectators - will allow many clubs to survive economically."
Lukaku ‘almost had a head loss’ in Milan lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic
Romelu Lukaku admits he “almost had a head loss” as he continues to deal with quarantine in Milan due to the coronavirus.
Lukaku, 26, who is located in the pandemic’s European epicentre, is attempting to maintain fitness after Serie A was suspended 10 days ago due to the covid-19 outbreak.
And the Belgian has revealed how Inter Milan are trying to retain the players’ sharpness until the league resumes, with a nine-point gap to champions Juventus, though Antonio Conte’s side do have a game in hand.
F1 postpones three more races due to coronavirus disruption
Formula One has postponed three more races following the outbreak of coronavirus.
Talks took place between all 10 teams, the FIA and F1 officials on Thursday regarding the restructuring of the 2020 calendar, which will need significant changes following the Covid-19 crisis.
The first seven races of the season have now been postponed.
Team GB could pull out of Olympics as coronavirus continues to threaten Tokyo Games
The British Olympic Association says it will not “endanger the health” of athletes by encouraging them to prepare for Tokyo 2020 if it is not safe to do so.
Athletes have raised concerns that current social distancing restrictions imposed due to the pandemic are making it impossible to prepare properly.
The Open ‘proceeding as planned’ despite pandemic
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is undertaking a “comprehensive evaluation” of its plans to stage The Open Championship and AIG Women’s British Open.
Three major championships – the Masters, PGA Championship and ANA Inspiration – have already been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, while a total of 11 European Tour events have been postponed or cancelled.
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