With coronavirus cases and deaths rising rapidly across in the UK, but also in London, many people, inside and outside of football, have begun to ask whether professional football, and in particular the Premier League should keep going on. This is because on Tuesday the 29th of December 18 Premier League footballers had tested positive, this excludes any staff or family members.

As many people are aware, football plays a huge part in many people’s lives, it creates a sense of attachment, and they can be introduced to their club’s community. Along with the huge sponsorship and broadcasting deals that the Premier League enjoys, it is hard to prevent any matches from going ahead, as it makes enormous, eye-watering amounts of money. However, perhaps it is time to halt the league, for the safety of the numerous players, staff, and all family members. As the whole of London is in tier 4, people can justifiably question why elite football can go ahead, but schools seem to remain closed, and normal people may not meet up indoors to perform sport.

Already within the past 3 weeks, there have been 3 matches postponed, not cancelled outright, but postponed to a later date. These matches will build up, further putting pressure on football teams to complete all the fixtures. Furthermore, the European Championships start in June, and many football teams, some in London, have already voiced concern about whether this should still go ahead. Most recently, on the afternoon of the 30th of December, Tottenham’s match with Fulham was postponed. This was due to several cases in Fulham’s squad, resulting in them having no fit strikers. As mentioned, this is the 3rd postponed fixture in 3 weeks, after Newcastle vs Aston Villa was called off on the 4th of December, and Manchester City vs Everton on the 28th of December. Furthermore, the FA has said that around 50 professional football matches have been cancelled, with the threat of even more before the 3rd round of the FA Cup at the beginning of January.

Watching Arsenal’s match against Brighton on the 29th, I saw first-hand that footballers playing did seem to be happy playing. Masks were worn by all non-playing players and staff, as well as social distancing signs. However, very few of us really know how a Premier League footballer feels about playing, whether they are happy to do so, or whether they fear for themselves and their family. It is highly likely that soon the PFA (Professional Footballer’s Association) will issue a statement about how the footballers do feel about playing in the current climate.

With Christmas having passed, and case rates likely to rise, it seems very likely that professional football will face major disruption. Nobody knows what the future holds, but as as football fans we can only hope and wait that the season does not get cancelled altogether.