Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright has hit back at criticism of the Premier League over discussions about how to finish the current campaign, claiming football is being used as a 'punch-bag'.
The Premier League has been suspended since March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a virtual meeting on Friday, all 20 top-flight clubs reaffirmed a commitment to completing the remaining fixtures, with a condensed five-week schedule one option discussed.
The league has insisted that it will only resume when "it is safe and appropriate to do so", but chief executive Richard Masters has warned that failing to complete the season could result in a financial loss of more than £1billion.
The Premier League was given the green light by the government to begin contingency planning prior to Friday's meeting, but that did not stop some from suggesting such matters should not be being discussed as the nation's death toll rises beyond 15,000.
Wright, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live says that the country's safety is paramount but believes football receives undeserved criticism.
"It seems like football is the punching bag," said Wright. "Lives come before anything, and the Premier League have always said, and they continue to say, [football will resume] when it’s safe to do so.
"When you hear people having a go at football because the Premier League are having meetings... they have to have meetings because at some stage things have to start again.
"Just because football is a game... it's still a business, just like other businesses are making plans to try and get themselves going again."
While measures in other countries are beginning to loosen, training in Germany having already begun, football in the UK will not return before the government deem it absolutely safe to do so.
