By Andrew Warshaw
January 19 – The top two tiers of English non-league football, known as the National League and National League north and south, are in danger of being called off because of funding – or lack of it.
January 19 – The German Bundesliga, a league renowned for its fan culture, doesn’t expect to see supporters return to stadiums until the 2021/22 season.
January 18 – Barcelona’s eagerly awaited and intensely contested presidential election scheduled for January 24 has been postponed due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
January 15 – Another trip to the Gulf by British-based players, another Covid controversy. Following an apology by Scottish champions Celtic for having undertaken a warm-weather trip to Dubai that led to a spate of positive cases, the manager of the Arsenal Women’s team, Joe Montemurro , says the club will not tolerate coronavirus protocol breaches after confirming three players went to the United Arab Emirates during the Women’s Super League winter break.
January 14 – Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has apologised to supporters after admitting that embarking on a warm-weather training camp in Dubai at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic was a mistake.
January 14 – Yet again, the Premier League has written to clubs to stress the importance of adhering to strict Covid-19 protocols. But are they taking any notice?
January 12 – The Premier League has confirmed 36 positive coronavirus cases were recorded in the latest week of testing, a slight drop from the season-high of 40 positives which were revealed in the previous week’s results – the first in which players and staff at all 20 clubs were tested twice a week.
January 11 – Following a string of postponed games and scores of players being forced to self-isolate, the English Premier League has threatened disciplinary action against anyone who breaches strict Covid-19 protocols.
January 8 – The head of the union representing English professional players says its members are potentially putting others at risk in the way they celebrate goals and has urged them to act sensibly amid a spike in Covid-19 cases that has led to a third nationwide lockdown.
January 8 – The mouth-watering FA Cup clash between Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Liverpool tonight has been hugely diluted because of a “significant” Covid-19 outbreak at the host club.
January 7 – The much-chronicled effects of coronavirus on the English Premier League is set to take its toll on the third round of the FA Cup – traditionally one of the highlights of the season – when the country’s top clubs join the competition this weekend.
January 5 – Professional football in the UK will continue behind closed doors despite the country being plunged into yet another national lockdown but almost all grassroots sport will cease, heaping even more pressure on non-league clubs.
January 5 – Four of Manchester City women’s team have tested positive for the coronavirus, continuing the club’s covid-19 woes.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 4 – What planet do they think they’re on? Just as the UK is battling a dangerous spike in Covid-19 cases, so English Premier League players continue to flout the rules, heaping embarrassment on their clubs and, as the epithet goes, bringing the game into disrepute – at least at elite level.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 31 – Four hours before his team’s scheduled kick-off against Fulham on Wednesday night, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho took to social media and remarked pointedly, “Match at 6 pm… We still don’t know if we play. Best league in the world.”