Coronavirus latest: PL club tests players, UEFA calls meeting
* According to The Times, the government is on the brink of announcing that all English football games will be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus. As part of those plans, pubs will not be permitted to broadcast games to avoid public gatherings of supporters.
Television companies could broadcast more games to subscribers – though not in the 3pm Saturday slot – while ticket holders for Premier League games will be able to stream their club’s games live.
Supporters of clubs in the Football League would be able to watch action from the lower tiers using iFollow streams.
* The Daily Telegraph have since reported that all players at an unnamed Premier League club have been tested for the virus after three first-team players displayed symptoms. Brendan Rodgers has appeared to confirm the team as Leicester.
* Amid reports that the Champions League and Europa League will be postponed, UEFA have announced a meeting with its 55 member associations and various other groups, to be held on March 17. They say that ‘discussions will include all domestic and European competitions, including Euro 2020’.
French newspaper L’Equipe suggest UEFA will ‘announce…the provisional suspension’ of both the Champions League and Europa League at this meeting, with the European Championship postponed until 2021. It would require negotiation with FIFA over when to schedule the Club World Championship, planned for that same summer.
* Next week’s Champions League games between Manchester City and Real Madrid and Juventus and Lyon have been postponed due to Real and Juventus players entering quarantine.
* La Liga and the Spanish second division have been suspended for at least the next two weeks after a Real Madrid basketball player contracted the virus. Real’s basketball and football teams share many of the same facilities so all have been placed into 15 days of self-isolation. Games were initially scheduled to be played behind closed doors.
* Italian football has been suspended indefinitely because of the very serious situation there.
* French Ligue Un football will be played behind closed doors until at least April 15.
* Every German Bundesliga game this weekend will be played behind closed doors.
* The Eredivisie has been suspended until March 31.
* The MLS season has been suspended indefinitely.
* Of the eight Europa League ties on Thursday night, two have been cancelled (Sevilla v Roma and Inter v Getafe) and only one (Rangers v Leverkusen) will go ahead in front of fans.
* It is expected that UEFA will suspend Champions League and Europa League competitions as several teams are actually now under quarantine, including Juventus and Real Madrid.
* Juventus player Daniele Rugani has become the most high-profile footballer to test positive for coronavirus. Sampdoria striker Manolo Gabbiadini is another player known to have tested positive.
* Reuters are reporting that Brazil’s first two qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup have been postponed because of the coronavirus.
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