Allardyce confirms one positive COVID-19 test at West Brom, wants PL season halted
West Brom manager Sam Allardyce has added his voice to those calling for a brief suspension of football after a spate of positive COVID cases has threatened to engulf the Premier League.
After the latest round of testing, it has emerged that 18 people have contracted the virus, as of Tuesday.
These figures are the highest recorded in a single round of tests this season and have caused concern that football may need to be paused, at least for a short while.
Speaking after his side were thrashed 5-0 by Leeds United on Tuesday, Allardyce said a break in football is necessary to protect himself and the wider footballing community, as reported by BBC Sport, “Everyone’s safety is more important than anything else.
“When I listen to the news that the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus, we can only do the right thing, which is have a circuit break.
“I am 66 years old and the last thing I want to do is catch Covid.
“As much as we’re getting tested – we had one positive this week – it seems to be creeping round. No matter how hard we try, no matter how many times we get tested, how we wear our masks, how we sanitise our hands, we’re still catching a lot infections round the country.
“If that helps [circuit breaker], let’s do it and let the season run a little longer when we get through it.”
Any break would put a number of upcoming West Brom fixtures in doubt, as the Baggies look to accrue vital points in their quest to maintain their Premier League status.
Their next fixture is at home to Arsenal on January 2, before they travel to Blackpool in the FA Cup (January 9).
They then face a further four Premier League fixtures before the month is out, and a suspension of football, however brief, would cause great difficulty for West Brom and the rest of the division, as they look to cram rearranged games into an already congested schedule.
It might, however, give players a chance to rest after a hectic festive fixture list.
West Brom have played six games in December, and were afforded only one day rest in between their trip to Anfield on December 27 and the Leeds match on Tuesday.
Premier League clubs will now be waiting on the league’s response, and will have to make a number of alternative arrangements to their training programmes if a break is indeed enforced.
In other West Brom news, fans take aim at midfielder after his first half display against Leeds.
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