Improved COVID-19 guidelines have been introduced in the English leagues to avoid further postponements of matches.
Coronavirus outbreaks have occurred in many clubs in recent months, both among men and women, resulting in the postponement of a number of matches.
Aston Villa are one of the most prominent teams currently affected by an outbreak of the disease, with the Premier League recently announcing that their home game against Everton on Sunday has been postponed.
In an attempt to deny the need for further disruption, the FA, EFL, Premier League and Barclays Women’s Super League have issued a joint statement confirming the introduction of improved COVID-19 measures, while the need to comply with guidelines has also been strengthened. .
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch admitted this week that he and the governing bodies appreciate the difficulties players endure in sticking to the protocols, although he urged them to follow the rules in order to avoid to postpone the season again.
“We have been very strong in enforcing or telling clubs to enforce protocols,” he said on the official EFL podcast. “This is what will keep people safe. We have a big role to play in terms of respecting these protocols.
“The last thing we want is a reduction. They are all suffering quite financially at the moment, but another shutdown for any period which then creates a whole new set of financial problems for clubs in terms of potentially broken broadcast deals is the sword hanging over us.
“It’s a tough sale for the players because I think we all have sympathy; we’ve all played along and we know what the emotions are when you’re on the pitch.
“All we can say is that we are living in unprecedented times, we must try to keep them to a minimum and we cannot stress enough the importance of following these rules. For the greater good of the game, all of us must comply. This is the message. “
