Coronavirus pandemic hits football

It was only a question of time before the coronavirus pandemic hit the world of football. Sports authorities had been more concerned about the economic impact of the crisis than the health of the players. But in the end they were left with no option but to accept the decisions made by the powers that be. All of us criticise politicians for taking too long to make decisions but when it’s all said and done, all of us - each and every one of us in modern day society acts irrationally.

For example, when games are held behind closed doors, why do hundreds of fans gather outside the stadium? If that happens, what’s the point of implementing preventive measures? Now maybe people are realising how dangerous the situation really is after Real Madrid closed down their training ground and put all of their players, in both the football and basketball sections, into quarantine.

It’s sad that it has come to this but in a way, maybe it’s a positive thing that Real Madrid have been one of the first to react – it will have a much greater repercussion and maybe people will start to take notice that these measures are for the benefit of sportsmen and women and the general public. Professional football players will be better off than most during the next 15 days when they won’t have to train together.

On that note, it must be said that from a physiological point of view, there is no reason why the decision to suspend training should have a negative effect on players’ fitness and preparation at this stage of the season – apart of course, from those who have directly been affected by the coronavirus. Professional footballers are healthy and fit with no underlying medical issues and therefore contracting the virus would be no worse than suffering a bout of normal flu.