Footballers and their precious group hugs

[HelloThereMeHearties]

Why can't they just stop doing it? They can score a goal and celebrate without piling on top of each other, surely?

Why are the Premier League clubs making such an effing fuss about these overpaid darlings and insisting they MUST be allowed to hug and break Covid rules?! Even though they've been asked not to, many times!

At least Jonathan Van Tam was helping out in addition to political work. The footballers then throw parties but hey happy days for them. If they do jump queue for vaccination they can really go back to normal tongues down each others throats big style

Not to mention the huge crowds that their matches are attracting in the surrounding streets, that the police allow to form when they could turn people away from the start. All those people gathered in close proximity shouting and singing.
But no policing, until countryside walks which require the attention of many many teams of police officers.

And I felt sorry for Adam Peaty being interviewed yesterday. So humble and positive, but unable to train or compete, despite his sport involving no close contact and even in normal times no hugging.

The contrast to Adam Peaty and other sports that are also not allowed to train or compete just shows how money-drive these decisions about who is and isn't allowed to do their sport/job are really.

Plus the blood Cheltenham festival issuing arm-twisting statements about how it will lose 100 million if no crowds are allowed. Didn't we learn anything from last year? The people of that town would rather the new variant didn't pour into their town just so money can pour into certain individual's pockets.

Twats.

@HelloThereMeHearties my point about showering was referring to them using the same facilities in changing rooms etc. If you see any footage of them training it’s not all at distance, they do full contact training too.

Obviously how it looks/role model issue is a different matter, it probably doesn’t give the best impression but I do think people are very quick to jump on footballers, of course so of them are braking the rules and that is absolutely not ok but for others who are following the rules, the constant criticism is unfair.

People always comment on how much money they earn too - it’s absolutely irrelevant when discussing whether there should be further restrictions imposed on professional football.

Or a short burst of a line dance to Cotton Eye Joe

Sorry, it had moved on a bit more seriously since I posted.
I agree their money shouldn't make them a target, but what does make them a target in my eyes is if they behave in a certain way that invites criticism.
Which they seem to be.
They have a great opportunity to behave overtly sensibly and safely, knowing they are setting an example, but unfortunately the photographers capture negative images of them - but the footballers have to be behaving in this way in order to get the pictures.

Apparently Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (manager of some football club)

I'm impressed you can spell his name but don't know who he manages.

I struggle and I'm a fan!

He is the manager of Man U... I just couldn’t be bothered to type it after using all my brain power trying to remember how to spell his surname 😂

My 95/96 homework planner was covered in his picture

I think it might have been 96/97 actually.

They are terrible role models. I dont necessarily have an issue with them being paid what they are but with those ££ come some responsibilities especially with their young fan base.

There was that twat who did an ad during the last lockdown telling us all to stay home and was then found literally 24 hours later travelling back with a couple of mates from a house party.

I dont think they come across as especially bright and switched on. They get too much too soon and in some cases get into the booze, drugs and girls.

I don;t care about them hugging after a goal, after all, they are all really unlikely to be Covid Positive.

However, they should really crack down on the spitting that footballers do - again, they may be Covid negative but it is a peer pressure thing. youngsters see their heroes doing it and think they will look cool doing it too. (Like smokers did)

It should be illegal - especially now - to spit anywhere in public. I'd rather the Police clamp down on this and leave walkers/exercisers alone.

But we're ALL unlikely to be positive but we all social distance etc for us, the community and the NHS. They're not special ffs

Ugh I absolutely despise professional football.

I doubt they're using the changing rooms when they're just training. They just get in their Range Rovers and drive home to their much nicer bathrooms.

As for what they earn, I hadn't mentioned it - but actually - yes, it does make a different to how we expect them to behave. They are paid massive amounts - £100,000 a week or more - and yet behave abysmally. We would criticise bankers who behaved so badly, so why not apply the same standards to these prima donnas?

Football is entertainment on a huge scale. It is watched by millions every day right now on TV. They are part of a strict testing regime and many have undergone multiple isolations as contacts. They take part in a contact sport - the recommendations around no hugging are purely for show.

So, should football be paused right now? Possibly, but if that happens we need to halt film production, TV shows, and revert to radio being broadcast from home. And maybe that helps, but frankly I think if you think that will have a meaningful effect on transmission you are deluded.

Nobody breaking the rules is doing so because Marcus Rashford hugged his team mates in celebration. They’re breaking them because they’re twats and they think they’re special.

Actually I wouldn’t expect anyone to follow the rules more or less dependent on how much money they earn. The rules are there to protect everyone, regardless of how much or little they earn - we all have a responsibility to follow coronavirus rules to protect other people, how much someone earns is entirely irrelevant.

Emotion over logic. Footballers aren't known for their sharp intellect.