Players used as guinea pigs in crisis: Rooney

LONDON • Wayne Rooney has criticised England's football authorities over how long they took to suspend matches in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying it felt like players were being treated like "guinea pigs".

The Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League and men and women's FA Cup competitions were on Friday suspended till at least April 4, following a meeting sparked by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta testing positive for the Covid-19 disease a day earlier.

"Why did we wait until Friday? Why did it take Mikel Arteta to get ill for the game in England to do the right thing?" the former England and Manchester United captain wrote in a column for the Times.

"For players, staff and their families it has been a worrying week - one in which you felt a lack of leadership from the government and from the FA and Premier League.

"After the emergency meeting, at last the right decision was made. Until then it almost felt like footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs."

Rooney said he would never have been able to forgive the authorities if anyone in his family had contracted the virus through him.

"The rest of sport - tennis, Formula One, rugby, golf, football in other countries - was closing down and we were being told to carry on," he added.

"I think a lot of footballers were wondering, 'Is it something to do with money being involved in this?' Thankfully football made the right call in the end. If people's lives are at risk, that has to come first."

Rooney, currently at second-tier Derby County, also proposed restructuring the fixture calendar once football resumed. "We're happy to play until September if the season extends to then, if that's how it has to be," he said.

"As long as we know we're safe to play and it's a safe environment for spectators, we'll play."

But not all share the same view. West Ham vice-chairman Karen Brady believes this season should be declared null and void.

She suggested that the pandemic could go on for some time and said that hopes of restarting the Premier League in three weeks are "dreamland".

With no certainty as to when things will return to normal, it has left the 20 clubs in limbo, with Liverpool tantalisingly close to a first top-flight title in 30 years and several clubs - including West Ham - in the thick of a relegation battle.

Stopping the season and declaring the current standings as final would be an anomaly, and hugely controversial.

While the clubs, except West Ham and Tottenham reportedly, would not begrudge Liverpool the title - they are 25 points ahead of Manchester City - the relegation places are too close to call.

Six points separate bottom club Norwich City from West Ham (27) who are in 16th spot, two places above the drop zone.

Likewise, nothing is yet decided in the second-tier Championship's promotion race. "So what if the league cannot be finished?" Brady said. "As games in both the Premier League and Football League are affected, the only fair and reasonable thing to do is declare the whole season null and void.

"Who knows who would have gone down or come up if the games have not actually been played in full?"

REUTERS