Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Coronavirus postponement the right decision

Arsenal’s Wednesday night match against Manchester City has been postponed due to the coronavirus. The decision is the right one, even if executed a little poorly.

Arsenal’s match against Manchester City on Wednesday night has been postponed. It is the first Premier League match to be postponed because of COVID-19. The coronavirus has been the cause of widespread action across Europe. Italy is in lockdown, while La Liga, Ligue 1 and Champions League ties are being played behind closed doors.

The decision was made on Tuesday night, with club officials meeting with Manchester City officials and the Premier League after Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis contracted the coronavirus and spent time at the Emirates meeting players and club officials.

‘Following yesterday’s news that Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis has recently contracted Covid-19, we have been taking medical advice and tracing any individuals who had what the guidelines define as close contact with him at the game 13 days ago,’ the club explained in an official statement. ‘As a result of this exercise, we identified that a number of players met the Olympiacos owner immediately following the game.’

‘We are strictly following the Government guidelines which recommend that anyone coming into close contact with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact,’ the statement continued. ‘As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight’s match against Manchester City and the Premier League has decided the game should be postponed.’

The decision is obviously a frustrating one, especially having been publicly announced at almost 1 am British time the night before the match. However, on balance, it is quite clear that this is the correct call.

As we have seen with Italy, South Korea, China and France, countries are taking an increasingly strong response to dealing with the coronavirus. Plenty of the actions made have not come early enough or been extreme enough, but as the number of people who have contacted COVID-19 in the UK rises rapidly, including the first fatalities, it is time for genuine action to be made.

Ultimately, a game of football is not the be-all and end-all. There are far more important things than football, including the health of the players involved and every individual who would be at the game. Admittedly, making this decision at such a late stage is poor, especially considering that this already rearranged fixture was done so at short notice last week. The match-going supporters have been treated terribly here. But perspective is required, and on this occasion, Arsenal, Manchester City, and the Premier League more generally have made the right decision.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.