Our beloved Premier League chief are at it again, involving the sport in decisions that might hope to look good on the surface, but fail to stand up to any real scrutiny. The repeated Coronavirus breaches by footballers have attracted significant amounts of attention, because they are celebrities. If one were to venture into a local hospital, sadly there are even more non-celebrities who have not only caught the virus, but due to co-morbidities or other underlying physical frailty, have found themselves needing to be cared for.
One big difference here, is that footballers are tested at least twice a week, whereas most normal people are not. Also, there is the sad reality that people with more money frequently find themselves in a position to be able to look after themselves more effectively. I don’t remember the last time I saw a top flight footballer schlepping around Waitrose.
The perception is, that footballers are having a laugh, while the rest of us are hoping to get in and out of the shops without putting anybody we know who is vulnerable at risk, afterwards.
To a great extent, footballers are having a laugh. Pots of cash, and the ability to spit and sweat over dozens of strangers each week. However, the testing, the safeguarding of the controlled environments is the game changer. Sean Dyche has it nailed, and talking to Sky Sports, the Burnley gaffer makes it quite clear that the professional players ought to be vaccinated. Only this will remove the threat.
Richard Masters’ plans shared with the BBC, are all for show. Players that have all tested negative cannot pass a virus to each other, any more than the virus might pop out of your TV screen at half time and zap your grandmother.
Again, this is sadly all about addressing people’s feelings opposed to addressing the facts. Do what Dyche says and send each club a box of vaccines – charge them double the going rate and make the cheques out to the NHS.
