It seems like a lifetime ago when the COVID-19 pandemic first started and the initial round of cancellations and postponements in sporting started to come through, and whilst the change was only short lived with most getting back to a regular schedule within a matter on months, it provided an opportunity for other services to thrive in popularity as options like these sites were amongst the most popular and haven’t seen a drop in popularity since. But the déjà vu has started once more as cancellations and postponements have started to tick up one more, whilst they are currently confined to only a few, have the potential to grow.
The biggest news has come from Liverpool football club as the UK premiere league team has found itself in the news over the past few days – having already requested that the Carabao Cup semi-final be postponed due to growing numbers, the training facility has also found itself being closed following growing numbers of suspected positive cases. It seems this has been the most responsible approach as the club stated with no prospect of an improvement prior to the end of the week and the potential for it to get worse, the right decision was definitely made, and is something that should be a path other clubs choose in the face of the same issues to help curb any spread and fuller cancellations or postponements that may have been required for a full outbreak.
The last thing fans will want is for sporting to return to a period of time where no spectators are allowed or sporting to return to a bubble approach being confined to one specific location for months at a time, but if numbers do continue to grow much in the way they have, then this could be a very real possibility – case numbers across the UK in particular have been rapidly rising and whilst there are no plans to place any restrictions if the clubs themselves are requesting postponements and closures too, it may also be the clubs themselves that decide to close the grounds to prospective visitors ahead of games if there are growing concerns that numbers could become a problem.
The cancellation between Liverpool and Arsenal isn’t the first to have taken place in the past few weeks and likely won’t look to be the last to come either, it’s a frustrating period of time once again but such is the current nature, and more care may need to be taken once again to ensure the same doesn’t happen a third time.