As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, all professional English football has been suspended until April 3rd, where the circumstances will be re-assessed.
In an official statement released by the EFL on Friday, it was explained that: “The FA, Premier League, EFL and Barclays FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England until 3 April at the earliest.”
The statement continued: “The postponements include all matches in the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as all Academy and youth team fixtures.”
The Club’s Reaction
In the wake of this announcement, West Ham United have released their own statement on the matter, detailing their specific plan of action. In this statement, they explain that the first team fixtures against both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham have been postponed, as have all Women’s fixtures and academy matches.
They statement said: “Due to members of West Ham personnel being in direct contact with the Arsenal manager at our game at Emirates Stadium at the weekend, the Club is taking a precautionary approach and those individuals are now self-isolating, in line with Government health guidelines.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is amongst a number of high-profile names to have had the misfortune to contract the virus, along with Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi. Other teams such as Everton, Bournemouth and Leicester have been impacted by the virus.
Tackling The Virus
The statement explains that the club have already taken a number of precautionary measures in regards to its facilities and Rush Green training ground. All West Ham facilities including Chadwell Heath and the London Stadium are due to be “deep cleaned” in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Amidst this pandemic, football clubs will work collaboratively with authorities such as Public Health England in order to propose the best plan of action regarding future fixtures and events.
