Friday will see the Premier League hold an emergency meeting to decide the fate of this season. As of now, the weekend slate of fixtures will go on as planned, but don’t be surprised if they’re called off in the wake of coronavirus concerns. We just learned, via club announcement that Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has tested positive.
He becomes the second major PL figure to test positive for COVID-19. after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Yesterday’s fixture between the Gunners and Manchester City was called off due to COVID19 concerns. According to the Chelsea club statement, Hudson-Odoi is doing fine physically. CHO, along with the rest of the full senior team, the coaching staff and the backroom staff, will now all self-isolate, in accordance with the national guidelines.
Here is more on the situation via the club’s official web page:
It is expected that those who did not have close contact with Callum will return to work in the coming days. In the meantime, the men’s team building, one of several separate buildings at our training ground, will remain closed. The rest of our training facility, Stamford Bridge and our other facilities are operating as normal.
Callum displayed symptoms similar to a mild cold on Monday morning and has not been at the training ground since then as a precaution. However, his test came in positive this evening and he will undergo a period of self-isolation. Despite testing positive for the virus, Callum is doing well and looking forward to returning to the training ground as soon as it is possible.
If the season is suspended, or even canceled, what happens regarding the title? European qualification slots? Relegation positions? Do the current standings become final?
Coronavirus and the hysteria it has caused have wreaked havoc on sports, leisure and entertainment worldwide. However, if the call to cancel is made, there will likely not be a backlash. Or at least Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes it will be supported.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.