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Ok, I have composed myself. Here comes the promised rant:
We are still in the middle of a global pandemic, families are loosing loved ones before their time, millions have lost their jobs and livelihoods, whilst key workers are working in the most dangerous of conditions. 1/25
We are still in the middle of a global pandemic, families are loosing loved ones before their time, millions have lost their jobs and livelihoods, whilst key workers are working in the most dangerous of conditions. 1/25
We are lucky, that professional sport are now allowed to played under "elite" protocols, giving millions of people happiness and improving their mental health, compared from April/May of 2020. These professional athletes are in an enviable position. Allowed outside... 2/25
.. whilst others are told to stay home. They are able to mix with other people from within their "bubble", to talk with them, to laugh with them, whist many people are stuck at home alone, with nobody to speak to. 3/25
Some of those people may well have been looking forward to this weekend and the return of the @BarclaysFAWSL and to see their team play for the first time in three weeks, yet some won't be able to and its all down to sheer selfishness. 4/25
I do not care what club a player plays for, I do not care what club a player supports, I do not care if a player is an England international or not. I will treat them all the same, as footballers and professional athletes, as that.... 5/25
.. is what they are, and have worked extremely hard to be where they are today, Which makes all this even more painful. So many young girls look up to their idols in the WSL/WC, just as young boys do in the PL/EFL, so the actions of a few that has caused a fallout of this... 6/25
..magnitude should not be taken lightly. I'm not going to name names, I am not directing this at specific clubs. This is directed at the whole game operating under "Elite" protocols. 7/25
A few players travelled abroad over Christmas, I have no issue with those who went home to families for the break, that is completely understandable as they went home and most likely stayed home and would have been beneficial to their mental heath. 8/25
However, those who went away on holiday, which was and still is, against UK Government advise, which everyone, including clubs and the FA have been urging their fans to follow. Stinks of hypocrisy. The wording of the government advise was/is... 9/25
...Tier 3: "Avoid travelling outside your area,
other than where necessary such as for work or education" and Tier 4 "Do not travel abroad if you live in a Tier 4 area unless an exemption applies." 10/25
other than where necessary such as for work or education" and Tier 4 "Do not travel abroad if you live in a Tier 4 area unless an exemption applies." 10/25
A holiday doesn't fall inline with this (it isn't forbidden in Tier 3, so no breach in law), but it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of so many who have not had a holiday since March. Those that left tier 4 did break the law.. 11/25
...I know some left for meeting with their agent, which they classed as "work" so legally permitted, but COME ON. Do you think we are stupid? A meeting with your agent could have easily been done on zoom or skype and needed ZERO travel, apart from your bed to your computer. 12/25
It's selfish acts like this, whilst many are struggling that causes even more harm. Acts like this will make others copying it easier. So and so did it, so it must be ok, when we all know it isn't. 13/25
Now, important bit. There is obviously no evidence to, that these trips abroad caused any player to catch this nasty virus. However, if any player who has been abroad and now has it, the trip abroad cannot be ruled out as the source. 14/25
Games have been called off this weekend as teams no longer have sufficient players. Bristol had the same issue just a few months back, when some had symptoms and where isolated. On this occasion the @FA forced the Bristol game to be played and players were called up... 15/25
..from the academy to fulfil the fixture. Those isolating players could well have tested positive in the coming days, so saying they hadn't tested positive isn't really an argument as the heath and wellbeing of players is paramount. 16/25
Which brings us to today and two fixtures being postponed. Why have academy players not been called up, like Bristol had to? Players can still be registered today for this weekend. Any number of academy players can be registered in addition to the 25 player squad cap.... 17/25
..as long as no more than 5 are listed on the team sheet. Even with players in isolation, teams should still be able to have the minimum of 14 players. One club has two players away on international duty, OUTSIDE of a designated FIFA window and therefore... 18/25
..can recall those players if needed. Now onto the issues of players in isolation. Any player returning from overseas, from family visit, holiday or "work" should NOT have been allowed contact with anyone else until they passed a PCR test a few days after they got back. 19/25
If all the players lived together in one house, they could all isolate together in it, as they had always been together, however if players share a house and one or two had been abroad and others had not, those players should never have mixed. 20/25
It only takes one to came back with the virus (unknowingly), they would then unfortunately pass it around the rest of house in no time and then possibly on to other teammates if they meet up. Events like this, cause issues like today. It could have all been avoided. 21/25
Clubs have the responsibility to ensure players are adhering to the "elite" protocols that they are subjected to, they are following government advise and the spirit of this advice when not backed up in law. Clubs authorising players to go abroad are just as to blame as... 22/25
..the players who went away on holiday or for "work". Players are obviously fully responsible for what they did whilst away, nobody goes to Dubai to just sit on the hotel room balcony, if you had one, so I hope they kept masks on and remained socially distant from others. 23/25
The we come onto the @FA. As said, they made Bristol call up academy players, who I doubt were in the "elite bubble". I'm sure the clubs with games called off have fairly sizeable academy's they could have dipped into. 24/25
The clubs authorised these trips against government advise, there is a likelihood these trips may have caused this outbreak. The clubs are then responsible for the ramifications. You cannot fulfil the fixture, you forfeit. If it was my team, I wouldn't expect anything less. 25/25
