Premier League clubs are reportedly fearful that fixtures could be postponed and face ‘another shutdown’ due to concerns over the rising spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Manchester United, Norwich City, Arsenal, Leicester City and Aston Villa are among five clubs to have been impacted by the spread of coronavirus.
And the Red Devils’ Premier League clash on Tuesday night with Brentford has already been postponed after a COVID-19 outbreak at United.
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Brighton’s match with Tottenham on Sunday was also cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Spurs.
The Premier League announced on Monday that 42 league players and staff had tested positive for coronavirus in the past week -- a record high for a single week.
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According to The Daily Mail, Premier League clubs’ fears have been ‘exacerbated’ by the ‘slow pace’ of their vaccination programmes.
The newspaper reports that Wolves are the only club from England’s top-flight domestic league to have met Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s target of boosting all over-18s.
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Leeds and Brentford are making significant progress in meeting Johnson’s objective, with The Daily Mail claiming both clubs are ‘well advanced’ in their respective booster campaigns.
According to data in October, 68 per cent of Premier League players were fully vaccinated.
However, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation remain firm on a three-month wait between a second and third vaccine dose.
It is claimed that almost a third of players would have to wait until at least the end of January to receive their booster vaccine, according to The Daily Mail.
The publication added that a ‘large number’ of second doses were not administered to players until October.
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The Premier League believe that it will be able to continue if rigorous testing measures and emergency protocols are put in place.
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However, ‘sources at several clubs’ have privately questioned if the league’s ‘integrity’ would be comprised should they continue amid a widespread postponement of matches.
A postponement to the Premier League could also lead to fixture congestion and broadcasters demanding rebates.
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And pushing back the league to the summer would cause further problems due to the 2022-23 season, which will already feature the 2022 World Cup from November to December.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that the Omicron variant accounted for up to 200,000 coronavirus infections in the country on Monday.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Premier League, England, Football