Mueez Ajao
– The Premier League finds itself in a precarious situation due to Covid-19 outbreaks at several clubs and the competition’s integrity is at stake when several players who test positive miss games, Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe said on Friday.
– The Premier League has postponed five games that were scheduled for the weekend due to Covid-19 outbreaks at various clubs. Nine games have been postponed since last week.
– Newcastle host league leaders Manchester City on Sunday, one of five games scheduled to go ahead, but the visitors are waiting on a PCR result to see if manager Pep Guardiola has tested positive, with the club cancelling his news conference.
Also Read: Liverpool survive COVID attack, beat Newcastle 3-1
– “I think it’s probably on a knife edge would be my verdict on it. I think when you start losing players to Covid, then the worry for me is that the competition becomes slightly unfair. I don’t think anyone wants to see that,” Howe told reporters.
– “That’s the biggest thing people want to see – a fair league. They don’t want to see disparity in games and players missing.
– “No, we all want the product to continue, I’m desperate to continue the programme myself, but I do think that the welfare of the players has to come first and the supporters has to come first.
– “I know that the people in charge of the Premier League will do that. I think there’s a lot to consider, it’s not an easy decision to make. I’m well aware how complex everything is.”
– The most recent Premier League data on vaccinations from October found that 81 per cent of players had received one dose and 68 per cent were double jabbed – a low per centage compared to the Italian Serie A where 98 per cent of its players have received two vaccinations.
