The sinister head of the new Omicron variant has risen to threaten a resurgence of COVID-19 to wreak havoc not only on the fixture list but the entire Premier League football. With an almost familiar yet awkward feeling of déjà vu lurking around the corner, the Premier League is about to embark on its busiest period of the season, with 40 games – plus all four Carabao Cup quarterfinals – due to be played in the space of 17 days starting this Saturday.
Football’s resurgent coronavirus problems in the United Kingdom are an offshoot of the new Omicron outbreak now threatening society, with the country recording 78,610 positive cases on Wednesday – the highest national figure recorded since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. This week, the Premier League saw fit to toughen up again to introduce emergency measures in attempting to reduce the risk of outbreaks within clubs and ensure that fixtures can proceed smoothly without disruption. Obviously despite this, the game invariably faces a turbulent period in the weeks ahead with the question being how will the Premier League navigate a safe path through the latest COVID-19 outbreak?
The Premier League reported 42 positive COVID-19 cases among players and staff at all clubs between Dec 6-12 – the highest weekly total since comprehensive testing began in May 2020. This scary record number of positive tests is expected to hit an all-time high when the Premier League releases the numbers at the end of this round of testing, following the outbreaks at Tottenham, Manchester United, Watford and Brentford this week.
Manchester United’s home game with Brighton on Thursday was the fifth EPL fixture to be postponed in the space of six days because of a COVID-19 outbreak among the squad of one of the competing teams, with Leicester vs. Tottenham (Thursday), Burnley vs. Watford (Wednesday), Brighton vs. Tottenham (Sunday) and Brentford vs. Manchester United (Tuesday) also being forced to be called off due to several positive test results.
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank – who confirmed his club has recorded 13 positive cases in the latest round of testing – urged the Premier League to postpone this weekend’s round of fixtures while speaking at a news conference on Thursday, saying “COVID-19 cases are going through the roof at all Premier League clubs, everyone is dealing with it and having problems.”
Various sources have already informed ESPN that quite a number of clubs are even going to the extent of pushing for a shutdown until the new year in view of the increasing number of cases. Meanwhile, in the hours prior to Thursday night’s planned kick-off, the Premier League announced four additional postponements of games scheduled for the coming weekend, with Southampton vs. Brentford, Watford vs. Crystal Palace, West Ham vs. Norwich and Everton vs. Leicester all adding to the growing list of games in need of new dates. Even then, among the games that did proceed, Liverpool announced three absences from their Thursday game against Newcastle due to suspected positive tests.
The domino effect is clearly evident, beginning with the postponement of Tottenham’s Europa Conference League tie against Rennes on December 9 due to 13 positive tests, which was immediately swiftly followed by their league game against Brighton on December 12 being called off. Brentford-United and Burnley-Watford then also also fell victim to COVID-19. However, Tottenham’s Premier League trip to Leicester on Thursday was postponed hours before kickoff after Leicester reported nine positive cases on Wednesday, with Tottenham still dealing with the after-effects of their own outbreak, which returned 15 positives among players and staff.
The Premier League rule is that games must be played if at least 14 players are fit and available, with that rule being open to interpretation depending on the age and experience of those players deemed fit to play.
The coronavirus situation is already moving at an increasingly rapid pace with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning that the country faces a “tidal wave”of infections because of the invasive omicron variant, and sources have told ESPN that the Premier League will ultimately be guided by government advice and instruction. The latest is that, as of today, the Premier League has no immediate plans at all to halt the fixture list, opting instead to judge each game on a case-by-case basis.
This is due primarily to the view within the Premier League that there still remains enough space in the calendar for the re-scheduling of games, as it remains their desire for postponed games to be played as quickly as possible. Additionally, although sources at the Premier League have said that May 22 is a “hard stop” with regards to the league season, the postponement of the World Cup in Qatar next summer to the winter (Nov 21 to Dec 18) provides adequate breathing space for an extension to the season if that is absolutely necessary.
While some clubs have asked the league for a full shutdown – a request which is under consideration – it’s clear that fixture problems are already cropping up for some. Tottenham are re-scheduling the Brighton and Leicester games as well as their clash with Burnley, which had to be called off the previous month because of snow. The club is also still attempting to find a date to play Rennes in the UEFA Europa Conference League, a situation that has become frisky with the French authorities announcing it will close its border with the UK on Saturday due to COVID-19.
With all this happening, the Premier League announced on Dec 13 that it was implementing its emergency measures in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus within clubs. This means that players and staff must undergo daily testing in the form of a lateral flow device (LFD) and two PCR tests a week. Any positive results on an LFD must be followed up by a PCR. Also, one PCR test must be taken on the day of the game, which sources have said will be an increasing factor in terms of games being called off late, as in the case of Burnley vs Watford.
Within training grounds and stadiums, face coverings are mandatory while indoors with social distancing measures being re-introduced and treatment time is also limited. “Red zones” – areas within training ground and stadiums restricted to players and staff – have also been reinstated, and clubs have also been told to resume remote media conferences having only recently allowed journalist back into training grounds.
As the nation on the whole has yet to be instructed to observe a lockdown by the government, the Premier League are by the same token not insisting that clubs impose bubbles of security for players and staff, but clubs have been urged to promote the benefits of booster jabs to all staff as the best defense against COVID-19.