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Wayne Rooney Slams The FA's Handling Of The Coronavirus Outbreak

Wayne Rooney Slams The FA's Handling Of The Coronavirus Outbreak

The Derby County star pulled no punches in his assessment of the FA's handling of the pandemic illness.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Wayne Rooney has slammed the FA's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and believes football authorities have treated footballers as "guinea pigs" during the crisis.

Premier League and the EFL have suspended their leagues until April 3 due to the global pandemic.

But Rooney has felt let down by the government as well as the FA and Premier League.

Writing in his column for The Times, the Derby County star said: "For players, staff and their families it has been a worrying week.

"One in which you felt a lack of leadership from the government and from the FA and Premier League.

"I think a lot of footballers were wondering, 'Is it something to do with money being involved in this?'. Why did we wait until Friday? Why did it take Mikel Arteta [Arsenal manager] to get ill for the game in England to do the right thing?

"After the emergency meeting, at last the right decision was made - until then it almost felt like footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs.

"I know how I feel. If any of my family get infected through me because I've had to play when it's not safe, and they get seriously ill, I'd have to think hard about ever playing again. I would never forgive the authorities."

The Manchester United legend continued by saying he's happy to play until September to complete the 2019/20 season.

"We're happy to play until September if the season extends to then, if that's how it has to be. That's our job," he added.

"As long as we know we're safe to play and it's a safe environment for spectators, we'll play.

"The next World Cup is in November and December 2022, so you could actually use this situation as an opportunity and say we're going to finish the 2019-20 season later this year, then prepare for 2022 by having the next two seasons starting in winter."

The Rams, meanwhile, are five points behind sixth-placed Preston North End who currently occupy the last play-off spot with nine games of the Championship season left.

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Topics: Football News, Derby County, Football, Premier League, FA, Coronavirus, Wayne Rooney

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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