Coronavirus: Manchester City vs Arsenal Postponed Over Outbreak ?

Tonight’s Premier League game between Manchester City and Arsenal has been postponed “as a precautionary measure” due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The decision to postpone came after it emerged that personnel from Arsenal had come into contact with the Olympiacos owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who has been named as a positive case of COVID-19, when he watched the Greek side beat the north London club at the Emirates Stadium on 27 February, just 13 days ago.

The Premier League said in a statement: “Following medical advice, Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC consider it is necessary to postpone their fixture due to be played this evening to give time to fully assess the situation. The Premier League has therefore agreed that tonight’s game will be rearranged.”

It is the first top-flight game in England to be called off because of the outbreak. Many other sporting events worldwide have been cancelled, postponed or played behind closed doors. In a statement Arsenal said a number of players were among its personnel who met Mr Marinakis immediately after the Olympiacos game.

Government guidelines recommend self-isolation for 14 days from possible contact with someone infected. The players involved are still within this time period and would therefore not be available for tonight’s match. They are expected to return to training on Friday. The club’s statement said: “Following yesterday’s news that Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis has recently contracted Covid-19, we have been taking medical advice and tracing any individuals who had what the guidelines define as close contact with him at the game 13 days ago.

“As a result of this exercise we identified that a number of players met the Olympiacos owner immediately following the game. The medical advice we have received puts the risk of them developing Covid-19 at extremely low. However, we are strictly following the Government guidelines which recommend that anyone coming into close contact with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact. As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight’s match against Manchester City and the Premier League has decided the game should be postponed. The players will remain at their homes until the 14-day period expires. Four Arsenal staff, who were sitting close to Mr Marinakis during the match will also remain at home until the 14 days are complete. We fully understand how disappointing this is for our supporters, in particular those who were travelling to Manchester for tonight’s match. Tickets will be valid for the match when it’s rearranged.”

It added that as a precautionary measure the club was contacting other Arsenal guests or staff who had been in the directors box restaurant at the Olympiacos game to advise tem what steps to take, although it stressed that it did not believe there had been any close contact with Mr Marinakis.

It added: “Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Mr Marinakis a swift recovery and we look forward to the players and staff returning to work on Friday in preparation for our match at Brighton.”Photo Credit: Getty

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