Pathetic fine, but the affected clubs can claim costs from them and they have to pay the EFL's £13k costs
Grimsby Town have accepted a suspended fine after breaches of the English Football League's Covid-19 rules led to three matches being postponed. It is thought they are the first club in the country to be sanctioned for breaking the rules during the pandemic. The postponements in September followed a positive test for player Jack Curran. But an investigation found that social distancing rules had not been followed, meaning more players than should have been necessary had to self-isolate. Players were allowed to congregate in communal areas at their Cheapside training ground, while the BBC also understands former boss Ian Holloway admitted to investigators that he played darts with some of his players, which he claimed was a training tool. It is thought players were also involved in car sharing and that the Mariners failed to conduct an adequate risk assessment by a suitable specialist before re-opening their kitchen at the training ground. Although players and staff were told to self-isolate for 14 days - leading to the postponements - the investigator found that, if protocols had been properly observed, only two players should have been affected. "Quite honestly this should not have happened," chairman Philip Day told BBC Radio Humberside after the club were fined £4,880, which is suspended until June.
Pathetic fine, but the affected clubs can claim costs from them and they have to pay the EFL's £13k costs
Grimsby Town have accepted a suspended fine after breaches of the English Football League's Covid-19 rules led to three matches being postponed. It is thought they are the first club in the country to be sanctioned for breaking the rules during the pandemic. The postponements in September followed a positive test for player Jack Curran. But an investigation found that social distancing rules had not been followed, meaning more players than should have been necessary had to self-isolate. Players were allowed to congregate in communal areas at their Cheapside training ground, while the BBC also understands former boss Ian Holloway admitted to investigators that he played darts with some of his players, which he claimed was a training tool. It is thought players were also involved in car sharing and that the Mariners failed to conduct an adequate risk assessment by a suitable specialist before re-opening their kitchen at the training ground. Although players and staff were told to self-isolate for 14 days - leading to the postponements - the investigator found that, if protocols had been properly observed, only two players should have been affected. "Quite honestly this should not have happened," chairman Philip Day told BBC Radio Humberside after the club were fined £4,880, which is suspended until June.
At the moment, the number of cancelled games seems to be at a manageable level, when compared to the glut of cancellations in L1 around the Christmas period
Women footballers showing they are as stupid as male ones
Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro says the three players who travelled to Dubai, causing their WSL match against Aston Villa to be postponed, have apologised. Three Gunners players travelled over Christmas despite London being under tier four lockdown restrictions. One tested positive for Covid-19 after returning, leading to others self-isolating and the game being delayed.
"From my perspective, it's about the moral compass, and the consequences of these situations," he said.
"There is obviously disappointment of the situation, the way it panned out.
"The players have apologised for their actions, we have dealt with it internally, and for me the really important thing is that it doesn't happen again, and it is all about actions now."
The postponement, which was in addition to a similar incident involving four Manchester City players testing positive for Covid-19 after a trip to the United Arab Emirates, was one of three games to be called off last weekend.
It also comes after Arsenal defender Jen Beattie was diagnosed with breast cancer in October.
When asked by BBC Sport whether the trip had put Beattie's health at risk, Montemurro said: "In the moment, in the situation, they probably didn't think of those situations, they probably didn't think of that
"But I can guarantee you going forward from now that they have understood the effect of their actions, the repercussions of what could have happened.
"We can't change the past. Are we disappointed it happened? Absolutely. Are we going to make sure these situations are dealt with properly? Absolutely. We are going to make sure that they learn from their actions and that these actions don't happen again."
Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell has written to all 10 Championship clubs asking if they want to continue playing or suspend their league.
Maxwell has asked for replies no later than close of business on Monday.
In an email sent on Friday evening, he mentions that one Championship club has already publicly called for a suspension of all football.
Maxwell did not name the club in question and there is confusion over who he is referring to.
All Scottish football below the top two tiers has been suspended for a minimum of three weeks due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Championship clubs have been allowed to continue their truncated 27-game season, which began in mid-October, on the condition that they test players and staff weekly for Covid-19.
Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell has written to all 10 Championship clubs asking if they want to continue playing or suspend their league.
Maxwell has asked for replies no later than close of business on Monday.
In an email sent on Friday evening, he mentions that one Championship club has already publicly called for a suspension of all football.
Maxwell did not name the club in question and there is confusion over who he is referring to.
All Scottish football below the top two tiers has been suspended for a minimum of three weeks due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Championship clubs have been allowed to continue their truncated 27-game season, which began in mid-October, on the condition that they test players and staff weekly for Covid-19.
Peterborough isn't that far from Lincoln, hopefully their pitch will have coped with the weather better
Dunno if I am being whoosed here but Peterborough to Lincoln isnt that close.
I mean I remember living in Spalding and Boston and both of those were in between Peterborough and Lincoln, your looking at at least an hours drive maybe slightlt more, weather could have been completely different in one place to the other
Peterborough isn't that far from Lincoln, hopefully their pitch will have coped with the weather better
Dunno if I am being whoosed here but Peterborough to Lincoln isnt that close.
I mean I remember living in Spalding and Boston and both of those were in between Peterborough and Lincoln, your looking at at least an hours drive maybe slightlt more, weather could have been completely different in one place to the other
I had assumed without looking at a map that they were closer, but it still only 50 miles
Crawley's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Bournemouth has been rescheduled to 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, 26 January because of a coronavirus outbreak at the League Two club.
The game had been set to take place on Saturday with a 15:00 GMT kick-off.
Crawley's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Bournemouth has been rescheduled to 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, 26 January because of a coronavirus outbreak at the League Two club.
The game had been set to take place on Saturday with a 15:00 GMT kick-off.
Comments
Pathetic fine, but the affected clubs can claim costs from them and they have to pay the EFL's £13k costs
It is thought they are the first club in the country to be sanctioned for breaking the rules during the pandemic.
The postponements in September followed a positive test for player Jack Curran.
But an investigation found that social distancing rules had not been followed, meaning more players than should have been necessary had to self-isolate.
Players were allowed to congregate in communal areas at their Cheapside training ground, while the BBC also understands former boss Ian Holloway admitted to investigators that he played darts with some of his players, which he claimed was a training tool.
It is thought players were also involved in car sharing and that the Mariners failed to conduct an adequate risk assessment by a suitable specialist before re-opening their kitchen at the training ground.
Although players and staff were told to self-isolate for 14 days - leading to the postponements - the investigator found that, if protocols had been properly observed, only two players should have been affected.
"Quite honestly this should not have happened," chairman Philip Day told BBC Radio Humberside after the club were fined £4,880, which is suspended until June.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55644144
Southampton's game at Leeds next Wednesday has been cancelled as a result
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12186158/aston-villa-vs-everton-postponed-in-premier-league-amid-coronavirus-outbreak
Due to covid in Wycombe squad.
10 days till Wycombe due to play Spurs in FA Cup no one tell @oohaahmortimer
Three Gunners players travelled over Christmas despite London being under tier four lockdown restrictions.
One tested positive for Covid-19 after returning, leading to others self-isolating and the game being delayed.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55670668
Was set up for bench boots next week, with them all playing 2 games.
Southampton leeds gets postponed.
The Premier League says 16 players and club staff have tested positive during the latest rounds of testing for Covid-19.
The league conducted 3,115 tests across two rounds over the past week.
Between 11 and 14 January there were 10 new positive tests and six more were found during testing between 15 and 17 January.
The number is significantly down on the 36 positive tests following last week's rounds of testing.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55707124
That'll leave them snookered if they have to play at a later date.
Waterlogged pitch
I mean I remember living in Spalding and Boston and both of those were in between Peterborough and Lincoln, your looking at at least an hours drive maybe slightlt more, weather could have been completely different in one place to the other
Crawley's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Bournemouth has been rescheduled to 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, 26 January because of a coronavirus outbreak at the League Two club.
The game had been set to take place on Saturday with a 15:00 GMT kick-off.
Sixty English Football League clubs have returned no positive Covid-19 results in the latest round of testing, with cases falling again from 32 to 26.
A total of 4,794 players and club staff from all 72 clubs were tested between 18 and 24 January.
The previous week, 32 people tested positive from 4,598 tests.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55816605