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The “difference between covid and flu” is a question that has been asked by many people. The answer to the question, is that there is no difference between the two words.
Steven Gerrard is concerned, as are his teammates. The Aston Villa manager is receiving almost hourly updates on how adversely his team has been impacted by positive COVID-19 cases and if he will have enough players — 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper — to fulfill the Premier League’s minimal requirements.
Villa were forced to postpone their match against Burnley last Saturday just over two hours before kick-off because to a COVID outbreak inside the club, and although they may be badly weakened against Chelsea on Sunday, the effect extends much beyond that. Footballers, like everyone else, are anxious about the virus, the vaccine procedure, and the long-term repercussions of both.
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“We had a case over the weekend where one of the players was hesitant to get out of his vehicle because he was having some symptoms and he had a young family, and you can absolutely appreciate his position in his circumstance,” Gerrard stated at a press conference this week. “This is a man with a young family, it’s Christmastime, and everyone is in the same predicament.” No one wants to become infected with this illness. Everyone wants to keep their family safe.
“Thankfully, he was tested thereafter and did not have a problem, but that player would not have been available for me on that particular day, and these are the tiny things that go unnoticed. We have a big obligation to listen to the players and deal with any scenario that arises.”
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop, and others to discuss the most recent news and debate the most important topics. ESPN+ has a live stream available (U.S. only).
In the United States, it’s a similar scenario of strong participation. The NFL said on Dec. 15 that 94.6 percent of players are completely vaccinated, while the NBA announced in mid-November that 97 percent of players were fully vaccinated. The NHL revealed in October that just four players in the whole league had not been immunized. While the omicron variety is causing infection surges throughout Europe, the Premier League is the only major league seeing a slew of COVID-19-related postponements.
So how did the world’s wealthiest and most visible football league get up in a position where games are being canceled on a regular basis due to COVID-19 outbreaks and startlingly low vaccination rates?
ESPN talked with players, managers, and executives to learn what’s wrong — and why — and if things will improve in the coming months.
Gab Marcotti, Rob Dawson, Tom Hamilton, Julien Laurens, and James Olley contributed additional reporting and material.
Vaccinations are not required in the Premier League, but individuals who refuse to be vaccinated face sanctions. They must eat, change, and travel separately from their fully vaccinated colleagues, and they must isolate for seven days if they come into close contact with a positive case. Even if they are in perfect physical condition and are not diseased, the regulations are clear: seven days of isolation, no training, and no availability for selection.
This problem is one of the main reasons for the current spate of postponements. According to ESPN, teams who have successfully immunized all, or the great majority, of their players are growing more enraged with teams that have a few of unvaccinated players.
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop, and others to discuss the most recent news and debate the most important topics. ESPN+ has a live stream available (U.S. only).
According to ESPN, Wolves began their vaccination journey before the anti-vax campaign gained traction in late summer by receiving their first vaccine before the summer, and as a result, the players had their own experience with the vaccine to guide them rather than anti-vax campaigns on social media. Meanwhile, other teams are playing catch-up at a time when the virus has resurfaced and the anti-vax movement has gotten more vocal.
However, even if a player wanted to have his first vaccination today, he would have to wait at least three months before receiving a second dosage and another three months before receiving a booster.
As a result, teams with a large number of unvaccinated players face a dilemma that will persist for the rest of the season. Unvaccinated players are also being pushed out of the picture at certain teams, according to a growing body of thought inside the game. Klopp and Gerrard, for example, have both said that they would not recruit new players who have not been vaccinated.
“I believe it will have an impact on who teams sign,” Klopp stated. “If a player is not fully immunized, he poses a persistent danger to all of us.” He doesn’t want to be a danger to anybody. It’s not that he thinks, “I don’t give a damn about the rest of the world.”
“However, he is a [danger], and we must devise other possibilities. He’ll have to change in a different dressing room, dine in a separate dining room, ride on a different bus, and drive in a different vehicle. It becomes quite disorganized from an organizational standpoint.”
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, on the other hand, has cautioned against a “search” for unvaccinated players. “I’m not going to start pointing fingers and looking for folks who haven’t been vaccinated,” he added. “We can’t compel people to be vaccinated, and I’m not going to alter my mind. I’m not going to get involved. I’ve had my vaccinations. I made the choice on my own. That’s all there is to it.”
In the Premier League, all players are still free to choose whether or not they want to get vaccinated against COVID-19. They are also expected to be responsible outside of clubs and to follow health and safety precautions at a period when society in England is very unrestricted, with no social barriers in place.
According to ESPN, the Premier League is unlikely to implement forced immunizations, and that persuasion based on scientific facts is the best course of action. Every COVID-related delay, on the other hand, will merely concentrate attention on the Premier League’s vaccination statistics.
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