COVID-19 has impacted a myriad of sports leagues in the United States and around the world. Now, the English Premier League will see a midweek tilt get canceled due to concerns surrounding coronavirus, as Wednesday’s match between Arsenal and Manchester City — which had already been re-scheduled from an original March 1 date — will not go on as planned.
According to statements put out by both clubs, a select number of Arsenal players met Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis following the Europa League match the sides played on Feb. 28. Earlier in the day on Tuesday, it was revealed that Marinakis, who also owns English club Nottingham Forest, tested positive for coronavirus, and as a result, a handful of Arsenal players will self-quarantine.
“The medical advice we have received puts the risk of them developing Covid-19 at extremely low,” Arsenal wrote in its release. “However, we are strictly following the Government guidelines which recommend that anyone coming into close contact with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact.”
The fact that players are at a low risk of contracting the virus is obviously great news, and here’s to hoping that ends up being the case. Arsenal have played a pair of matches since they took the pitch against Olympiacos — an FA Cup tie against Portsmouth and a Premier League tilt against West Ham — and there is no word on whether any players or personnel members from those clubs are taking similar precautions.
Additionally, Arsenal said in its statement that it plans on honoring tickets for its match against the reigning Premier League champions whenever it occurs, and that “we look forward to the players and staff returning to work on Friday in preparation for our match at Brighton,” which is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
