Fears Growing for Football Season and Olympics as Coronavirus Disruption Grows | sport

The pace of disruption caused by the coronavirus accelerated in the sports world on Tuesday as more football matches were moved behind closed doors, new medical measures were introduced and new questions were asked about the sustainability of the Tokyo Olympics.

As Jrgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola spoke of their reluctance to play matches in empty stadiums and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis became the first prominent name in English football to test positive for Covid-19, a series of new actions have been taken in hopes of slowing the spread of the disease.

In other developments Tuesday:

The Chelseas Champions League match with Bayern Munich is to be played behind closed doors.

Links in the Europa League between Olympiakos and Wolves, LASK Linz against Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen against Rangers will also take place without supporters.

Ticket sales have been suspended for the Euro 2020 qualifying match against Northern Ireland.

The friendly English international with Italy remains on but could still be postponed before the end of this week.

On the continent, it was a day of widespread action. French authorities have declared that the next Ligue 1 matches will be played behind closed doors. In Spain, the same decision prompted the players' union to request the suspension of matches. The German FA has decided to cancel an international friendly match with Italy. In Italy, where a suspension from competition is already in place, officials have been asked to find ways to end the Serie A season, including deciding on the playoff title.

In England, meanwhile, a crowded Anfield will host a Champions League tie against Atltico Madrid on Wednesday night and this weekend's Premier League matches should go unmodified. The approach to English football, led by government advice and described by some in the game as keeping calm and pursuing, seems to be increasingly out of step with that of other countries. There is growing concern for the sustainability of future matches and, therefore, for the entire championship season.

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There are things that are more important than football. I think we realize that again right now, said Liverpool manager Klopp at his pre-match press conference. What we need is time to find a solution. How to save this time? Avoiding different situations.

I don't know enough how much it would help to [close] football games. The problem with soccer games is that if you are not in the stadiums, you are going to watch it closely in the halls and I do not know which is better in this case, to be honest. I want to say that.

Guardiola echoed the feelings of his rival. You have to ask yourself if it is worth playing football without the spectators, said the Manchester City manager when Wednesday's Premier League match against Arsenal approaches. It makes no sense to play professional football without people, because they are the ones for whom we do it, but we will obviously follow the instructions given to us.

Marinakis' announcement that the virus had visited him sent shock waves through English football. The owner of the forest was in Nottingham to watch the Forests' defeat against Millwall last Friday night. He met the Forest team in the locker room and was photographed with supporters outside the ground after the match. He had also attended Emirates Stadium a week earlier to watch his other club, Olympiakos, in their victory against Arsenal.

Forest, Millwall and Arsenal have all released statements acknowledging the news and assuring fans that they are taking all precautions against coronavirus. Olympiakos, meanwhile, has chosen to test all of its players for Covid19. But the magnitude of the contacts made by a single infected person has raised concerns. An executive from a Premier League club told the Guardian: There is a growing feeling within English football that the season will have to be suspended.

Football is far from the only sport under pressure, however. A week ago, the International Olympic Committee did not want to organize the entire Tokyo Olympic Games on time this summer. But in an interview on Tuesday, a prominent member of the local organizing committee voiced the idea that the Games could be delayed until 2021, rather than incurring the costs of eventual cancellation .

I don't think the Games could be canceled. It would be a delay, Haruyuki Takahashi told The Wall Street Journal. The International Olympic Committee would be in trouble in the event of cancellation. American television rights alone provide a huge amount.

In boxing, the organizers of the Olympic qualification tournament say that it will take place in London this weekend and that Italian fighters will participate. The organizers told the Guardian that they would take the temperature of the fighters before each fight but that they were convinced that there were no health problems with the Italian boxers, as they were arrived in Britain over a week ago to prepare for the tournament.

We have introduced a series of additional measures, including routine temperature testing as part of the daily medical checkups for competing boxers, a spokesperson said. The Italian team has been advised to follow the advice provided by Public Health England and, if team members start to experience symptoms of colds or flu, they are advised to follow ; self-isolate, stay indoors, avoid contact with other people and contact the LOC's chief medical officer. officer.

In the Super League, it has been announced that the Leeds Rhinos will play their away game against the Catalan Dragons behind closed doors.