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Clubs should practice celebrating goals safely in training to ‘get it’, Premier League general manager Richard Masters said.
The top players have faced further criticism this week for kissing as they celebrate goals, in violation of Premier League protocols designed to secure the Covid league.
Julian Knight, the Tory MP who chairs the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, called their antics ‘insane’, while another committee member, Labor MP Clive Efford, called them described as an “insult to the NHS”.
In response, Frank Lampard said he would consider encouraging his Chelsea players to avoid celebrating in training, with the Masters backing the idea on Friday. “I think if every club does this then they will understand,” Masters said.
“All sports are played in the moment, with emotion, if we set ourselves the goal of perfection, we will fail,” added Masters. “All we ask is that the players adapt to the situation. I think they understand that we are in a privileged position, where we can play, we can continue while millions of others are not. You have to follow the rules and set a good example. “
Masters added that the Football Association would have ultimate jurisdiction over protocol violations on the pitch, and that the Premier League, FA and EFL would work together to monitor how well protocols are followed.
Manchester City players were among those criticized during the goal celebrations. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, whose mother died in April after contracting coronavirus, does not believe the behavior of footballers will have any influence on the progress of the pandemic.
“A lot of people are unfortunately dying every day and a lot of people are infected,” Guardiola said. “We will do our best to follow the new rules. Scientists are telling us what to do – but please the situation happening in the UK is not due to the football players.
Jürgen Klopp, Guardiola’s counterpart at Liverpool, believes people are smart enough to understand that just because footballers, who are regularly tested for Covid-19, kiss after a goal, doesn’t mean it doesn’t not give them permission to do the same.
“I think people are smart enough to differentiate between people who are constantly tested and untested, it makes a huge difference,” Klopp said.
“If we thought we were threatening one or two of our teammates we wouldn’t, it just wouldn’t happen. It’s the only safe place we have on the ground. Inside, nothing like this happens.
Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo has spoken to his players about the protocols but doesn’t see the group celebrations stopping. “It’s too emotional not to touch your teammate when they score a goal,” Nuno said. “I don’t see this happening.”
In interviews with the BBC and Sky, Masters also discussed the list of crowded matches and the potential return of fans. Masters insists there is room later in the calendar to play postponed Premier League matches, but may ask UEFA for permission to play matches on Champions League or League nights. Europa League.
Masters, who was appointed in November 2019, four months before the Covid-19 epidemic in Europe, added that the Premier League was “ready” to play the 2020-2021 seasons without fans present.
“The focus is now on the end of the season,” he said. “We don’t know when the fans will be allowed to come back. It’s hard to guess. Obviously, we are extremely optimistic that by the start of next season the vaccination program will have returned this country to a certain sense of normalcy, and we may have returning fans.
Crowds of up to 2,000 fans were briefly allowed on some prominent grounds in December before a third nationwide lockdown went into effect. Masters have previously said a full season without fans will cost top clubs £ 700million in lost match revenue.
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