Will the Premier League continue? Responsibility is needed from players during lockdown

If the 2020/21 Premier League is to continue and have any chance of surviving the surge in coronavirus cases amid what is now the UK’s third national lockdown, players need to increasingly be on their best behaviour and respect the tougher restrictions at all times.

But there is more to it than that because players have a duty of care to the rest of the country, whether they choose to or not, and have to set an example in that respect as well.

The Premier League is far from immune to the crisis that is ripping through the UK at an even more alarming level than before and players and club staff must take responsibility for their actions.

Four Premier League games have had to be postponed since the start of December because of outbreaks at a handful of clubs, with three of those since 28 December alone.

Those games will have to be re-arranged in an already congested fixture schedule that is still making up for last season’s delays and the late start to this one. Further postponements will only worsen that crisis but will be a necessary measure if cases begin to spiral out of control.

Because of the regular testing to stay on top of potential outbreaks and the nature of the job in professional sport, Premier League footballers more than most might feel an air of relative normality in their lives. It’s not quite as it should be, but they continue to train every day, interact with their colleagues and play games, whereas millions of others up and down the country have worked from home since March, with limited or no real human interaction outside their household.

But that doesn’t mean players can ignore the guidelines when it comes to the rules.

Footballers might feel invincible. As elite sportspeople at an advanced level of physical fitness and health, they are the least vulnerable group to the worst impact of the virus and plenty of players who have tested positive have been asymptomatic or suffered only brief and minor illness.

Yet potentially carrying it and spreading it, especially to more vulnerable members of their family or community, is a risk that is even more real as a result of the newer more dangerous strain.

The latest test figures released by the Premier League have confirmed there were 40 new positive cases discovered in two rounds of testing between 28 December and 3 January, more than double the number from the previous week, which was itself a new high at 18.

Clubs can do more as well to discourage any flouting of the rules.

Tottenham are believed to have fined Giovani Lo Celso, Erik Lamela and Sergio Reguilon for their illegal gathering on Christmas Day, that also included West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini, with a picture seen on social media featuring 15 adults in total and several young children.

Fulham launched an internal investigation when Aleksandar Mitrovic was seen breaking the rules at a New Year’s Eve party also attended by Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojveic. But Milivojevic was selected to play two days later and Eagles manager Roy Hodgson brushed off criticism by suggesting that fans are more concerned about winning football matches.

Similarly, Manchester City were not happy with Benjamin Mendy’s behaviour when he also broke the rules on New Year’s Eve, only for Pep Guardiola to defend the player by speculating that his actions were perhaps no worse than ‘many’ of the rest of the population.

But players and staff don’t only need to protect themselves and their families, there is a level of mandatory social responsibility when it comes to setting an example for everyone else.

Whether they wish to be or not, Premier League footballers are very visible public role models to people of all ages and one of the complaints if they are seen to break the rules with impunity is that it gives license and legitimises other people to push the boundaries as well, lengthening the crisis.

“It produces a ‘Dominic Cummings’ effect. ‘If [footballers] can relax, cuddle and party, so can I’. The punishment for non-compliance should be much greater,” former FA chairman David Bernstein told a national newspaper earlier this week.

They have stepped up before, donating wages as part of the #PlayersTogether movement during the first lockdown last spring. Now, they have to make sure they follow the rules. Not only does the season depend on it, but their behaviour could indirectly influence how quickly the country is able to release itself from the grips of the worst peace-time crisis in a century.

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