Coronavirus: Danny Rose terms football's return "bollocks"
Newcastle United defender Danny Rose launched a furious response to the Premier League's return plans, saying football should not be a priority during the pandemic.
Danny Rose has launched a furious tirade against plans to bring back Premier League football, insisting it should be far from a priority amid the global Covid-19 pandemic and with the UK currently posting the second-highest number of cases in Europe according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The United Kingdom's government confirmed on Monday that professional sport cannot resume until at least June 1 even behind closed doors as it laid out its "roadmap" to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Premier League clubs held further talks with league officials on Monday to try to end the deadlock over plans to resume the season, with teams opposed to the idea of staging games at neutral venues.
Richard Masters, the Premier League's chief executive, said they are "working flat out to create a responsible, safe, and deliverable model to complete the season", with June 12 said to be the prospective date to resume matches.
The government is said to be keen on seeing football return as a means of boosting the morale of the UK, which has been in lockdown since March.
Rose: Premier League return is "bollocks"
"Our priority will always be the safety of players, coaches and managers, staff, supporters, and the wider community” - Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters ⁰⁰
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 11, 2020
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But Rose, who is on loan at Newcastle United from Tottenham, says it would be ludicrous to bring back the game until there has been a significant reduction in Covid-19 cases.
"The government is saying we are bringing football back because it is going to boost the nation's morale," he said in an Instagram live session.
"I don't give a f*** about the nation's morale. People's lives are at risk. Football shouldn't even be spoken about coming back until the numbers have dropped massively.
"It's b******s. We'll see. I'm supposed to tested on Friday, so we will just have to wait and see.
"I didn't even listen to the announcement [on Sunday] - no football until June 1 or something. I don't even pay attention to any of that. I'm sad people are getting sick and being affected but football should be the last of things that needs to get sorted."
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According to The Times, the Premier League will now ask the government to reconsider the directive that matches should be held at neutral venues.
The Bundesliga is the only one of Europe's top-five leagues to be close to a return, with matches due to be held from May 16.