- Premier League due to hold 10.30am GMT meeting
- Chelsea in lockdown after Hudson-Odoi tests positive
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Things are getting in muddy in League One. Portsmouth insist Saturday’s match with Accrington is yet to be postponed, but it seems a matter of time, with the club saying a further statement will be released later on Friday morning. Accrington had said a decision “was made in conjunction with Portsmouth after they confirmed that their players and staff will self-isolate for 14 days”. But Pompey say otherwise at this stage. “Portsmouth football club can confirm we are in discussions with the EFL, Accrington Stanley and medical experts. This comes after the news that Mikel Arteta, whose Arsenal side Pompey played in the FA Cup on 2 March, has tested positive for coronavirus. We would like to send our best wishes to Mikel and everyone at Arsenal, as well as anybody who has been affected by the outbreak.”
The Premier League is expected to convene at 10.30am GMT to determine what happens next. This is an unprecedented time but all 20 clubs will need to come to an unanimous decision for any action to be taken and government officials are also being kept in the loop. The EFL board are likely to follow action taken by the Premier League, who at 9.30pm on Thursday said all of this weekend’s games would “go ahead as scheduled” before, an hour later, releasing a statement confirming Friday morning’s emergency meeting. In terms of press conferences, Jürgen Klopp’s has been canned, as has Frank Lampard’s. Steve Bruce and Eddie Howe, however, are scheduled to speak as planned imminently.
Written by Ben Fisher
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2020/mar/13/premier-league-and-british-football-set-for-shutdown-due-to-coronavirus-live under the title “Premier League and British football set for shutdown due to coronavirus – live”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
