Premier League clubs attempted to thrash out a plan to complete a season placed on ice by the coronavirus pandemic when they met via a conference call on Thursday. Covid-19 has forced leagues around Europe to be suspended, with England’s top tier now on hold until at least 30 April.
Uefa have postponed Euro 2020 for a year, giving the leagues valuable breathing room to finish the fixtures. Elsewhere, the Ryder Cup in golf looks to be on, still, with Padraig Harrington insisting the September tournament could run without fans.
Here are all the latest happenings from around the world on Thursday as sport contends with the pandemic.
Premier League clubs to meet to decide on how to finish season
Premier League clubs will attempt to thrash out a plan to complete a season placed on ice by the coronavirus pandemic when they meet via a conference call on Thursday.
Top-flight fixtures have been suspended until April 4 at the earliest and while it seems certain that the lay-off will be extended, UEFA's decision to postpone the Euro 2020 finals for 12 months has created room for manoeuvre.
It is understood the focus will be firmly on concluding the 2019-20 campaign at some point rather than on what might happen should they be unable to restart, while talks with broadcast partners, whose financial input represents such a large proportion of revenue, are ongoing.
All Covid-19 tests on Pakistan players negative
"The PCB is pleased with the outcome of the results and happy that all these players and officials have rejoined their families without any health and safety doubts or concerns," PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said on Thursday.
The PCB postponed the PSL on Tuesday hours before the semifinals in the wake of coronavirus pandemic and carried out tests on all those associated with the twenty20 league in Pakistan.
Diamond Princess critic says Tokyo Olympics should be halted
The Japanese doctor who created a media firestorm with videos criticising the quarantine of a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship said he now believes the Tokyo 2020 Olympics should not go on.
Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious disease at Kobe University, said on his blog on Thursday that it's not clear that the outbreak in Japan will have subsided by the planned start of the Games in July. Also, the flood of foreign visitors could exacerbate the spread of the disease, known as COVID-19.
Japanese government officials have said the Olympics will go ahead as scheduled and will not be held behind closed doors.
"The Olympics are not just a mass gathering, but a mass gathering from all over the world, while COVID is a global pandemic," Iwata wrote. "These two things don't go together."
Iwata boarded the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in February and his YouTube videos decrying the conditions there garnered more than a million views.
Iwata said that bureaucrats, and not infectious disease professionals, were running the quarantine, and that basic protocols on zoning and the use of protective gear were not followed.
Japan has recorded more than 1,600 cases of the virus, including about 700 from the Diamond Princess. Thirty nine people have died, including seven from the liner.
The virus has spread around the world, with more than 218,000 confirmed cases and 8,900 deaths.
Tokyo governor: beating coronavirus essential for safe Olympics
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Thursday that beating the coronavirus is essential to host a safe and secure Tokyo Olympics, but that it was still too early to discuss the timing of a decision on whether the Games should go ahead as scheduled.
The breadth and scale of the spreading coronavirus around the world have forced the cancellation of numerous sporting events, raising concerns about whether the Olympics will be able to open on July 24 as planned.
Koike said that she's currently not thinking about cancelling the Olympics or holding them without spectators, two options that have been raised, and added that she's in close contact with the International Olympic Committee and central government about the situation.
Windies offer solution to cricket schedule hit by coronavirus
With the coronavirus threat looming large on England's home test series against West Indies in June, the Caribbean cricket board has offered to host the matches, according to a report.
Several Caribbean nations have reported positive COVID-19 cases but the situation is worse in Britain which has reported more than 100 deaths from the respiratory disease.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Jonny Grave has spoken to his English counterpart and offered to host the three-test series, ESPNcricinfo reported.
"I've spoken to Tom Harrison a couple of times in the last few days and assured him that we will be as flexible, supportive and helpful as possible," Grave told the cricket website.
"To that end, yes, we have offered to host the series here in the Caribbean if that is deemed helpful. The ECB would retain all commercial and broadcast rights."
Reuters
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Formula One bosses will talk with the sport's team principals on Thursday in an attempt to thrash out a revised calendar.
The PA news agency understands that FIA president Jean Todt and F1 bosses' Chase Carey and Ross Brawn will all be on the conference call as the sport's major stakeholders look to reach an agreement on the best route forward.
The summit follows a World Motor Sport Council vote on Wednesday which approved a revised shutdown period - which had been reserved for August - to enable the possibility for the sport to go racing throughout the summer.
Olympic flame to arrive in Japan with Tokyo Games in serious doubt over coronavirus
The Olympic flame from Greece is set to arrive in Japan even as the opening of the Tokyo Games in four months is in doubt with more voices suggesting the event should be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The flame touches down Friday aboard a white aircraft painted with the inscription “2020 Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay” along its side, and “Hope Lights Our Way” stenciled near the tail section.
Everything about the arrival ceremony at the Matsushima air base in northern Japan will be subdued. The flame is to be greeted by a few dignitaries, saluted by a flyover from an aerial acrobatic team — if weather permits — and then used to ignite a cauldron.
The burning vessel will be displayed in three northern prefectures before the official relay begins on March 26 from Fukushima prefecture, which was devastated nine years ago by an earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors.
Lord Coe has conceded the coronavirus pandemic means some athletes will now be at a disadvantage at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but insists the Games can go ahead as planned.
World Athletics’s president held talks with the International Olympic Committee in an effort to ensure the event goes ahead as planned on 24 July, yet there is now the concession that some athletes in countries hit hard by Covid-19 will not have a level playing field against their fellow competitors.
Great Britain’s heptathlon world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson has spoken out against the IOC and their advice to athletes to prepare “as best they can” despite major restrictions to training schedules.
Sir Matthew Pinsent criticises IOC over handling of Tokyo Games amid coronavirus crisis
Four-time Olympic champion Sir Matthew Pinsent believes it is "folly" for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to insist the Tokyo Games will go ahead.
IOC chairman Thomas Bach said on Tuesday that starting on schedule on July 24 remains the organisation's goal, despite much of the sporting calendar being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think it's the IOC saying we must try and get through if we can, which I have a degree of sympathy with, it just runs counter to what every health authority and government is saying around the world," Pinsent told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"We've seen lockdowns across Europe and across Asia at different timescales but this is coming and the idea that the Olympics are going to carry on regardless I think is folly.
"On a global front we have other priorities and I think the Olympics should at the very least be saying we should postpone or indeed just cancel at this stage and we'll talk about postponement later on.
"I just don't think there's much of a choice at this stage. For much of the European countries as well Asian countries, organised sport in any meaningful way has ceased and that's from government advice.
"I don't see there's any way forward for an Olympic athlete to train effectively even as an individual but particularly in a team environment.
"I just think it's unfair actually, I think it's unfair almost for the Olympics to say we're going to carry on, the Olympics are still happening, we are committed to the Olympics in July, because there are two big forces in an Olympic athlete's life, which is the Olympics and everything else and those two things are pulling in different directions at this moment and it's very very difficult for them individually when they've got that tension in their own heads."
Asked why he felt the IOC was insisting the Games would go ahead, Pinsent added: "I think they feel a responsibility to Tokyo.
"We know having hosted in 2012 that seven-year build up is a crescendo of energy and concentration and effort on behalf of the city and on behalf of the nation and the government, everybody takes a pride in it.
"I know that Tokyo have done exactly the same and actually the financial stakes are much higher for the host city than they are for the IOC."
Pinsent believes the IOC should follow the lead of other sporting organisations which have suspended matches or tournaments in order to give themselves time to assess the long-term situation.
"If you had a decision tree, the first one is are the Olympics going to carry on in Tokyo in July as planned and to me that very soon is going to be a no, a firm no," the 49-year-old added.
"The decision whether to reinstate it in Tokyo, whether it's later in the year or next year or delay by two or four years, is a decision that does not have to happen now. That can take time.
"For an Olympic athlete, ideally you'd want 12 months' notice and so you could say now, 'we're really sorry, the Olympics is not going to happen as planned in July, we are going to assess the situation and announce what's going to happen' which is where most other sports have got to with this."
Only one thing is clear as football tries to cope with the coronaviris crisis: almost everyone is determined to complete the season. When and how are questions that no one can answer.
The Premier League are convening a conference call with all 20 clubs this morning. The English Football League (EFL) held a marathon meeting yesterday. Uefa and Fifa conducted their own conclaves earlier in the week. Everyone wants certainty and clarity, but events are changing so fast it is impossible to satisfy these demands.
For the most part, the game’s participants are eager to present a united front. One of the first tasks on the Premier League agenda will be to ensure there are no more ill-advised interventions like Karren Brady’s call to void the season. The West Ham United executive vice-chairman is not held in especially high regard by her peers and her newspaper column provoked Paul Barber, the Brighton & Hove Albion chief executive, to respond by saying it would be unfair to deny Liverpool the title.
With the coronavirus threat looming large on England’s home test series against West Indies in June, the Caribbean cricket board has offered to host the matches, according to a report.
Several Caribbean nations have reported positive COVID-19 cases but the situation is worse in Britain which has reported more than 100 deaths from the respiratory disease.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Jonny Grave has spoken to his English counterpart and offered to host the three-test series, ESPN cricinfo reported.
“I’ve spoken to Tom Harrison a couple of times in the last few days and assured him that we will be as flexible, supportive and helpful as possible,” Grave told the cricket website.
Players union urge rethink over games in Turkey amid coronavirus pandemic
Players union FIFPRO has urged authorities in Turkey to reconsider the decision to continue playing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fenerbahce are due to face to Kayserispor on Friday before a full weekend of SuperLig fixtures over the weekend.
FIFPRO said on Twitter it has written to the SuperLig and Turkish football federation "asking them to urgently reconsider the decision to continue matches and training during the £coronavirus outbreak.
"Numerous foreign players have contacted us to say they are uncomfortable continuing as £COVID19 spreads."
Premier League ban extended to end of April due to coronavirus crisis
Gladbach players to defer wages to help club staff during coronavirus pandemic
Borussia Monchengladbach players, coaches and directors have agreed to defer their wages in order to help the Bundesliga club and their employees.
The Deutsche Fussball Liga postponed all matches in the Bundesliga until at least April 2 last week amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And to alleviate financial worries for employees at the club, who sit fourth in the table, players have agreed to go without pay during the outbreak.
In an interview on Monchengladbach's official website, sporting director Max Eberl revealed he spoke to the players on Tuesday about the situation and that they were unanimous in their decision.
Eberl said: "I didn't have to explain much. The players know what's going on. The team has offered to forego salary if it can help the club and its employees.
"I am very proud of the boys. Clear signal: We stand together for Borussia, in good times and in bad. They want to give something back to Borussia and also to all the fans who support us.
"The coaching staff joined in, just like our directors and managing directors. These are difficult times and they require special measures."
Gladbach managing director Stephan Schippers also indicated that DFL would be tempted to play matches behind closed doors to ensure the season is completed.
"The goal is for Borussia Monchengladbach to survive this corona crisis and to do that without having to give notice of termination to anyone. In order to achieve this we will all have to work hard together," Schippers said.
"We are experiencing the most difficult situation since 1999 in the Bundesliga and also at Borussia Monchengladbach. We have to say this openly. We expect loss of revenue due to game cancellations, lack of viewer revenue, possibly lost TV revenue and lack of sponsorship money.
"In order to avoid a huge financial hit, the efforts of the league and all clubs are currently aimed at ending the current season in order to secure TV revenue and sponsorship money.
"Bundesliga football without fans is not what we want. But for the next few weeks and months we have to realise that only a continuation of the Bundesliga games - without spectators - will allow many clubs to survive economically."
Lukaku ‘almost had a head loss’ in Milan lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic
Romelu Lukaku admits he “almost had a head loss” as he continues to deal with quarantine in Milan due to the coronavirus.
Lukaku, 26, who is located in the pandemic’s European epicentre, is attempting to maintain fitness after Serie A was suspended 10 days ago due to the covid-19 outbreak.
And the Belgian has revealed how Inter Milan are trying to retain the players’ sharpness until the league resumes, with a nine-point gap to champions Juventus, though Antonio Conte’s side do have a game in hand.
F1 postpones three more races due to coronavirus disruption
Formula One has postponed three more races following the outbreak of coronavirus.
Talks took place between all 10 teams, the FIA and F1 officials on Thursday regarding the restructuring of the 2020 calendar, which will need significant changes following the Covid-19 crisis.
The first seven races of the season have now been postponed.
Team GB could pull out of Olympics as coronavirus continues to threaten Tokyo Games
The British Olympic Association says it will not “endanger the health” of athletes by encouraging them to prepare for Tokyo 2020 if it is not safe to do so.
Athletes have raised concerns that current social distancing restrictions imposed due to the pandemic are making it impossible to prepare properly.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is undertaking a “comprehensive evaluation” of its plans to stage The Open Championship and AIG Women’s British Open.
Three major championships – the Masters, PGA Championship and ANA Inspiration – have already been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, while a total of 11 European Tour events have been postponed or cancelled.
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Premier League clubs attempted to thrash out a plan to complete a season placed on ice by the coronavirus pandemic when they met via a conference call on Thursday. Covid-19 has forced leagues around Europe to be suspended, with England’s top tier now on hold until at least 30 April.
Top-flight fixtures were originally suspended until April 4 at the earliest and the lay-off was extended on Thursday, despite Uefa’s decision to postpone the Euro 2020 finals for 12 months with an aim of creating room for manoeuvre.
The EFL has already announced a £50million short-term relief package to help out struggling lower league clubs during the shut-down, a move which was brought into sharp focus by Scottish Premiership side Hearts’ announcement that it has asked staff to take a 50 per cent pay cut.
In a statement on the club’s official website, Hearts owner Anne Budge said: “In order to try to prevent a staff redundancy programme and to protect as many jobs as possible, I am proposing to implement a club-wide salary reduction programme.
“Given the uncertainty of the whole situation with which we have been presented, we cannot say how long these measures will be in place.”
