ANTHONY KNOCKAERT called for the season to be scrapped — and branded it “absurd” players are not being consulted. The Brighton winger, on loan at Championship Fulham, fears he could infect a loved one if he catches the virus on returning to play. ⚠️ Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for the latest news […]
ANTHONY KNOCKAERT called for the season to be scrapped — and branded it “absurd” players are not being consulted.
The Brighton winger, on loan at Championship Fulham, fears he could infect a loved one if he catches the virus on returning to play.
Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for the latest news & updatesAnd as clubs prepare to discuss Project Restart tomorrow, Knockaert has called for players to have a say in whether football comes back in coming weeks.
The 28-year-old said: “Every player will be different in these situations.
“I don’t think it would be the best decision to keep playing in the sense that we are going to be taking a risk.
“We all have family at home. I’m 28, I have children.
“That scares you. I realise that, if I catch the virus, I could easily give it to those close to me and that can be very dangerous.
“There are players who think more about the sport and are very keen to go back and take risks.
“Right now, if I had to return to the league and return to work, I would give it my all. But if I could give my opinion, I would be against it.
“For me, the best decision in this case is that players have the right to speak and say what they want.
“The Government and the leagues will take decisions but in all that you have players.
“It’s absurd not to take into account the opinions of the players.”
Football in Knockaert’s native France has been suspended until September, while Belgium — where the winger played with Standard Liege in 2015 — have also axed their campaign.
Yet Germany, where the death rate from Covid-19 has been much lower, are preparing to start up again.
Knockaert added: “I have seen three leagues cancelled. Belgium, France and the Netherlands, for me, have taken the right decision. Now we will see what other countries do.
“Germany are starting again soon and I see that as a bit absurd, a bit dangerous for society and for the players.”
Fulham lie third in the Championship, six points off the automatic promotion spots, while Knockaert’s parent club Brighton are in a relegation scrap in the Premier League, two points above the drop.
Yet the former France Under-21 star, speaking to beIN Sport in his homeland, claims many of his colleagues feel the same way as him.
He said: “I think a lot of players agree with me.
“It’s scary. I’m scared of catching the virus when I go shopping and I’m not just thinking of me.
“If I catch it, I am young and in good health and can come through it.
“But I could pass it on to people close to me who are more vulnerable. The day that happens, we will have it on our conscience for the rest of our lives.”
Leyton Orient midfielder Jobi McAnuff fears for the safety of black players should the Premier League return.
The Office for National Statistics has revealed black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die if they contract Covid-19, even when age and other factors are taken into account.
And McAnuff, 38, says that points to a greater risk facing players from a BAME background.
He said: “A lot of Premier League footballers probably won’t be in that category in terms of where they are living and things that can affect those numbers.
“But even taking them away, in some studies you’re still twice as likely to die.
“You look at the make-up and the number of BAME players in the Premier League. The last time I saw you’re looking at 35 per cent, it’s probably higher now.
“That is a large, large percentage of people at higher risk should they catch Covid.”
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Port Vale skipper Leon Legge, 34, added: “If we’re a higher risk, you would have to worry about your safety.
“It’s a tough one because you don’t want to let your team down.
“But then you don’t want to let your family down by playing as they could catch it.
“The only way to really go back to playing is to 110 per cent guarantee of safety.
“I’ve not heard anyone say they can guarantee it. It’s a contact sport, it’s not Subbuteo.”
Legge was a trailblazer at 24 when he became one of the first players to speak publicly about his epilepsy.
He has not had a seizure for nearly a year, with the chances of one reduced during this break due to lack of physical activity.
Legge had planned to do a podcast about the condition with fellow sufferers Jay Bothroyd, of Japanese side Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and Rotherham’s Matt Crooks until coronavirus halted things.
He added: “Thankfully nothing has happened to me during this time.
“Unless I had something major, I would be wanting to stay at home and recover, which is what I normally do unless it is serious.
“You wouldn’t want to risk catching anything while you were at hospital.
“And I wouldn’t want to put any extra stress on the NHS unless it was major.”
