AIBU to be cross about footballers COVID travels?

[QuentinInQuarantino]

Man Utd were supposed to be playing Real Sociedad in Spain, but as Spain has a ban on arrivals from the UK by air, BOTH teams are flying to Italy to play there instead.

Arsenal were due to play in Portugal, which is on the red list, so again, both Arsenal and the Portuguese team are playing in Italy.

I live in Spain and haven’t seen me entire family since 2019. SIL is Portuguese and her whole family haven’t even met 1 y/o DN.

AIBU to think that these matches aren’t essential work travel and that it’s irresponsible for all four teams (and Italy!) to be playing right now?

No different to these bloody influencers busy sunbathing and having the odd picture taken in Dubai and the Maldives etc. Glad to see the govt trying to crack down on their scam to fly in via another country but no doubt they will just pay the fine.

Perhaps if one got given 10 years in prison in might send a message that compliance with the rules isn't just for the plebs and excludes the royal family, politicians, news reporters and the famous

No different to these bloody influencers busy sunbathing and having the odd picture taken in Dubai and the Maldives etc.

I find them way more annoying!

Elite sport is vitally important, it also brings a hugr amount of money to the British economy.

Hmmm yet women’s sports .... football and rugby.... are postponed/cancelled

Funny that!

The men can all continue though

Paul Merton wanted footballers to have the vaccine first as the return of football had massively improved his mental health

It has had no impact on mine, I didn’t even notice it had been suspended🤷🏼‍♀️

They shouldn’t be permitted to circumnavigate rules that are there for a reason.

To be honest it doesn't bother me, it's great for the kids to be able to watch sport etc, however I think it should be the same for women's sport

@SimonJT yeah....except it’s not ‘elite sport’ ..... it’s all the bloody leagues right down to the national league!!

Halifax town
Barnet
To name just 2!

[quote MrsMercedes]@SimonJT yeah....except it’s not ‘elite sport’ ..... it’s all the bloody leagues right down to the national league!!

Halifax town
Barnet
To name just 2![/quote]
Without lower leagues elite sport simply wouldn’t happen, in football particularly lower leagues are still big contributors to the economy.

@hammeringinmyhead I started to r thread about these two particular teams as one is the one Dh and ds support and the other is our local team. I don’t know enough about what Lewis Hamilton has done although at least his sport doesn’t involve physical contact with lots of people.

Women’s sport has been cancelled but not men’s?

Have you ever seen the number of pit crew? There are 12 mechanics just to change the tyres. Each team takes approximately 75 people to a race and crams them in the pits. Many are on radio so can't wear masks. That's ok though - because it's overpaid men driving a car rather than "kicking a ball about" as I often see stated on here.

[quote MrsMercedes]@SimonJT yeah....except it’s not ‘elite sport’ ..... it’s all the bloody leagues right down to the national league!!

Halifax town
Barnet
To name just 2![/quote]
In usual times, even Barnet get crowds of c. 1500. What other events can do that week in week out without being "elite"?

I think international sports fixtures should be suspended.

I would rather see grassroots general participation sports prioritised for permission to re-start, as I think that has the greatest benefit to society.

But as they have zero role in the economy I think that's unlikely to happen

In usual times, even Barnet get crowds of c. 1500. What other events can do that week in week out without being "elite"?

Parkrun

Also, the women's 6 Nations Rugby qas postponed because England are the only professional team - this caused problems with bubbles, testing etc as many players have second jobs. There's a wider issue here of course, in that they should be able to be funded to be professional players, but it's not just because they're women.

@hammeringinmyhead I don’t think it is okay...

There was a poster here the other day whose father died alone in Belgium and she has to empty his flat within a month but she can’t travel. I think her reasons are more valid than any sportspersons.

Yes it is an industry, but other industries without as many resources to Todd out the storm have been decimated. Yes it is entertainment, but some of our theatres or small production companies (which make some of the best telly!) may never recover.

National league players have ‘proper’ other jobs!!!
Some are essential workers. So after snogging in the changing rooms they go out to work.... with the public!!

I know one....a butcher!

@MrsMercedes

Hmmm yet women’s sports .... football and rugby.... are postponed/cancelled

Funny that!

The men can all continue though

Women's football isn't cancelled.

Well, it looks like the National League is going to vote to end the season. The government has decided to offer loans instead of grants from Jan despite there being no fan income so they can't go on. So no more snogging. Hooray!

@QuentinInQuarantino

That’s interesting *@Overdoor* and great to have the other perspective.

I still can’t quite square it with the many people whose businesses or even homes have been lost when the govt has forced them to stop trading. I’m also not sure I share hour faith in the players’ sticking to rules when as a pp said there have been house parties etc. And people would quite rightly be up in arms if my family and I met up in Italy to avoid travel bans, even though I think in most cases the right to meet your grandchild or bury your parent trumps the right to play a game.

I know nothing about premier league football or the specific travel instance you’re referring to, but other industries also have permitted work travel, if it’s essential to the job, and this is.

I share your general lack of faith in the players, but the need to live like monks has been dinned into them by coaching staff, the fact that they will lose their place on the team and that the team will forfeit games if players test positive or are close contacts of a case etc, and as they test twice a week and have only had three positives which were traced to a single (stupid) car sharing trip suggests they’re obeying guidelines.

DH travels with the team and says no one leaves their hotel rooms at night, or leaves the hotel grounds at all apart from the game. They were recently in a city one of the players comes from, and family members talked up to his window from the hotel car park. No other contact.

I can't really get excited about it. I think we should have as many safe working environments as usual to try to get to grips with the pandemic and get back to what passes for normal asap.

The football club i support has had 1 case recently of a player breaking local Covid restrictions and he was fined, by the club EUR 200,000. That isn't peanuts. That is sending a message. He was also not allowed to train with the other players, or play in a match for the time it took to get (I think) 2 negative tests. That is a big deal for a club to lose one of their best strikers for an important match (which they didn't win)

That sends a very strong message, IMO. (also the club is using some of the youth team busses in the local scheme to get homeless people to shelters, and the players regularly pack food for the foodbanks etc. They are role models, and the local clubs do what they can, visibly, to help and encourage others to do the same)

If only other employers were as scrupulous we'd all be a lot further along, i think.

@Overdoor “ DH travels with the team and says no one leaves their hotel rooms at night, or leaves the hotel grounds at all apart from the game. They were recently in a city one of the players comes from, and family members talked up to his window from the hotel car park. No other contact.”

That is reassuring and responsible, but being so, and if footballers really are essential to the nation that we shouldn’t postpone playing, then why doesn’t the UK government grant them permission to play in Portugal? And why doesn’t the Spanish government allow Manchester United permission to stay in Spain? They grant exemptions for other things. The government has decided not to, it can only be due to the risk of transmission, surely? Which they are all now imposing on a third country (Italy) which has struggled. It feels like exploitation of a loophole. This is what I’m struggling with.

I see your point, but Spain has a blanket ban on anyone from the UK who isn't a Spanish citizen or resident. That's not really granting exemption for other things. You can't go in for reasons related to death of a relative, for example, and you can't go in to play professional football.

I'm not sure why Italy seem happy to accept anyone with a form and a negative test. That's up to them.

I don’t buy the argument that football is massively important for keeping the mental health of the nation going. I love football, but, along with many others, I can’t to pay for Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime, so I can’t watch it anyway. If we’re going to claim it’s for the good of the nation, it needs making available for free....

@izzybobsmum

I don’t buy the argument that football is massively important for keeping the mental health of the nation going. I love football, but, along with many others, I can’t to pay for Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime, so I can’t watch it anyway. If we’re going to claim it’s for the good of the nation, it needs making available for free....

No one is using that argument.

Football has been able to continue because it it a huge industry, has been able to put in place regular testing that means there is very little risk, which it has paid for itself and thereby continues to pay billions in tax.

They're not playing for the good of the nation. It's their job (training every day as well as the matches) and they cannot work from home. The hospitality side (fans) is closed to minimise risk.