6 footballers who don't want to play because of coronavirus
As Premier League footballers continue with their third week of training ahead of the league’s resumption on 17 June, various players have expressed concern.
League chiefs announced that the 2019/20 season will resume as part of its Project Restart initiative after it was curtailed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), which represents the players, returning is optional, but it remains to be seen how that will play out once competitive games are under way.
Teams said on Friday that “it was agreed the PFA, players and managers are key to this process and will be further consulted”, but a number of players are genuinely worried about returning to their jobs.
We take a look at which players have spoken out about returning to play.
Troy Deeney
The Watford captain has been the most vocal about his unease regarding the return to action and has yet to take part in any training sessions.
On the Talk the Talk podcast, Deeney said: "My son is five months and he's had breathing difficulties. I don't want to come home and put him in more danger.
“You've got to drive in in your own kit, you can't have showers, then drive back in the same dirty kit you've got.
He has also asked the Premier League whether there would be additional testing and precautions for black, Asian and mixed ethnicity players.
Danny Rose
“It’s a f**king joke”. That’s what Danny Rose said in an Instagram post when discussing Project Restart.
Danny Rose on return to football:
"The governments saying bring back football to boost the morale of the nation, I don't give a f*ck about the nations morale. Peoples lives are at risk!"
"Football shouldn't be spoken about till numbers have dropped massively. It's bollocks." pic.twitter.com/bdWBbTiZFR— The Spurs Web ⚪️ (@thespursweb) May 11, 2020
Rose, who is currently on loan at Newcastle United from Tottenham, has consistently been vocal when it comes to wider social issues in the game, particularly racism and mental health.
He added: "I'm sad that people are getting sick and being affected. Football should be the last of things that need to be sorted."
N’Golo Kanté
When Chelsea returned to training, their French midfielder chose not to as he was uncomfortable doing so.
The World Cup winner’s older brother, Niama, died of a heart attack two years ago, while his father passed away when Kanté was 11.
The club have been supportive of the player’s decision from the outset.
Willian
Also at Chelsea, Brazilian winger Willian expressed his feelings regarding the resumption of the league.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, the 32-year-old said: “We’re really keen to return, we really miss playing and doing what we love. But it needs to be safe for us to do so. That’s how we’re looking at it. Our health has to come first.
“So right now, players don’t feel comfortable with the idea of returning until it’s totally safe to do so.”
Sergio Aguero
On 1 May, Manchester City’s striker told El Chiringuito TV in his native Argentina about his fears. He said: “The majority of players are scared because they have family, they have children, they have babies.
“When we go back, I imagine that we will be very tense, we will be very careful and the moment someone feels ill, you will think: ‘What’s gone on there?’ It does scare me.”
Tyrone Mings
While maybe not refusing to play, on 31 May the Aston Villa defender believes players don’t actually have any choice. He described the decision to resume the season as ‘financially driven’ and that the players were merely ‘commodities in the game’.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the England international explained that the option to return was only in theory.
He said: "We got the option to come back to training and that's fine because we didn't have to but if the FA and the EFL and the government and Uefa and the Premier League all say you are going back to play, it really doesn't make any difference what the players think because you are going back to play. It is get in or get out."
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