April 14 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has warned countries not to start playing football again too early since safety has to come first.
Football is in lockdown almost everywhere in the world and Infantino says it would be “irresponsible” to resume before there are clear signs that Covid-19 is easing.
Bundesliga teams have already returned to training as they prepare for a possible May return while Premier League sides ideally want to restart in June, albeit behind closed doors to prevent the spread of the virus.
“No match, no competition, no league is worth risking a single human life,” Infantino said. “It’s better to wait a little bit longer than to take risks.”
“I cannot stress this enough,” he told FIFA’s 211 member associations by video link. “Our first priority, our principle, the one we will use for our competitions and encourage everyone to follow, is that health comes first. Everyone in the world should have this very clear in their mind.”
“It would be more than irresponsible to force competitions to resume if things are not 100% safe,” said Infantino.
“If football manages to have a discussion where everyone contributes positively, and keeps in mind the global interest over the individual one, I am convinced our future can be better than our past, and we will be better prepared for the times ahead.”
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