Coronavirus: Arsenal-Manchester City Is Off, But The Premier League Insists That The Outbreak Will Not Stop The League

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has put many major sporting events on hold in the last few weeks and has claimed its first Premier League match. Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester City was postponed in order to allow several of the London club’s players to self-isolate, following the announcement that they may have come into contact with an infected person during a Europa League match two weeks ago. No players are thought to be unwell but the move follows public health guidelines regarding the virus. 

The person in question is Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Olympiakos, the Greek side who knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League a week last Thursday, who announced via Instagram that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Marinakis, who also owns English Championship club Nottingham Forest, wrote: “The recent virus has ‘visited’ me and I felt obliged to let the public know. I feel good as I take all the necessary measures and I discipline to the doctor’s instructions.” He had been present at the Emirates Stadium on February 27, and was also at the City Ground for Forest’s game with Millwall last Friday night. 

While this is the first Premier League game to fall to the virus, it is far from the only case around Europe. What differs about the Arsenal match is that it has been postponed due to players’ self-isolation, rather than fears about large public gatherings. Serie A, Italy’s top league, has been suspended until April 3, having already played a round of games without spectators, and several UEFA Champions” League and Europa League matches will also be played behind closed doors. Indeed, Olympiakos will face Premier League club Wolves on Thursday without fans, as their players – who also came into contact with Marinakis – were found not to have the coronavirus. Wolves have asked UEFA to postpone the fixture, but as of March 11, it is still scheduled to go ahead.

With Serie A suspended, top leagues in France and Spain played behind closed doors for the next two weeks and Germany’s Bundesliga expected to follow suit, the Premier League is the only one of Europe’s Big 5 to play to full stadiums next weekend. This is in line with the current advice from the UK government, which holds that large, outdoor events can still take place as planned. The league has ditched pre-match handshakes, and insists that “all necessary measures are being taken” to combat the spread of the disease. The threat of games being played behind closed doors, or cancelled altogether, is not gone, though the league says there are currently no plans to escalate to that level.

One unintended consequence of tonight’s postponement has been that Liverpool can no longer end their 30-year wait for the Premier League title this weekend. Had City lost to Arsenal, and then again at Burnley on Saturday, it would have been possible for the Anfield club to mathematically confirm their status as champions by defeating Merseyside rivals Everton on Monday evening. Instead, they can revise their party plans to their home game against Crystal Palace on March 21: if they beat Everton, then they can secure the Premier League title on their own patch with victory over Palace. Whether there will be any supporters there to see it, however, remains in doubt.