Belgian football league bans player selfies and autographs due to Coronavirus fears
Other measures include a a ban on journalists conducting interviews within a metre of players, while players themselves have been told to avoid all unnecessary contact.
Belgium's football league, the Jupiler Pro League, has adopted a series of measures this Thursday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which includes a ban on players posing for selfies and signing autographs.
“Contact with players is not desirable for now. Therefore we ask fans not to request autographs, handshakes, 'selfies' and shirts from players during this period," the Jupiler Pro League said in a statement.
It stressed that "the current situation requires special attention and tracking but there is no need to panic”. The Pro League measures to curb the spread of the disease have come following recommendations from the Belgian Federal Health Service.
Players told to avoid unnecessary contact
Other measures include a ban on journalists conducting interviews within a metre of players, while it has been recommended that greetings such as shaking hands and kissing are also avoided.
The Pro League has also asked fans not to go to games this weekend if they are feeling ill, while players have been asked to avoid “unnecessary direct contact as much as possible", meaning greetings such as handshakes and hugs at the beginning and end of the matches should be avoided. However, as it stands, none of this weekend’s fixtures have been suspended or instructed to be played behind closed doors.