Latest news on coronavirus impact on football world (timeline)
Dear reader, the timeline is updated on a daily basis, but it’s in ascending format. To see the latest news, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.
February 04, 2020
AFC Champions League involving Chinese teams postponed over coronavirus worries
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that the matches, which were due in February and March, would be rearranged for April and May, with only one exception: Chiangrai United vs Beijing FC since Beijing FC were in South Korea on a training camp and did not need quarantine measures.
February 22, 2020
Italian amateur football matches postponed to prevent the spread of coronavirus
According to Italian news agency ANSA, 88 amateur football matches including Serie C and Serie D matches were postponed as a preventive measure against coronavirus. Also Serie B match between Ascoli and Cremonese was postponed after two people died in Lombardy and Veneto regions.
February 23, 2020
Three Italian Serie A fixtures including Inter Milan-Sampdoria were postponed due to corona worries
Inter Milan-Sampdoria plus two other fixtures in Italian Serie A, namely Verona-Cagliari and Atalanta-Sassuolo were postponed due to coronavirus worries. The measure was taken as a woman from the northern region of Lombardy became the second person in Italy to die from coronavirus.
February 25, 2020
J-League matches postponed due to fears over coronavirus spread
J-League Chairman, Mitsuru Murai, postponed all official matches until March 15 as a measure to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Members of the league's governing board agreed to reschedule 94 matches in J-League in response to what a governmental panel of medical experts had predicted as critical, waiting to be happened in one or two weeks.
March 3, 2020
Swiss football league suspended over coronavirus fears
The Swiss football league on Monday suspended all Super League and second-division Challenge League matches until March 23 as a measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
March 5, 2020
Italian government decree stated all Serie A games had to be played behind closed doors until April 3
Following a decree issued by Italian government, Serie A games and all other sporting events in Italy had to take place behind closed doors. The decree stated: “Sports events and competitions of all kinds and disciplines, held in every place, both public and private, are suspended.
March 5, 2020
FIFA president calls for composure in the face of coronavirus spread
FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, urged football authorities not to panic when it comes to taking measures against the spread of the coronavirus.
March 5, 2020
Inter Milan donate €100,000 to help combat coronavirus spread
President Steven Zhang of Inter donated €100,000 to the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the Sacco Hospital in Milan for coronavirus researches. "Inter has an indissoluble bond with the city of Milan and is proud of the dedication with which all the staff of the Sacco Hospital are dealing with the exceptional situation,” said Steven Zhang.
March 6, 2020
Napoli-Inter, Strasbourg-PSG called off due to growing fears over coronavirus spread
Coppa Italia semi-final match second leg between Inter and Napoli was another match in the Italian football calendar to be called off due to growing worries over the spread of coronavirus. PSG-Strasbourg in Ligue 1, which was to be played on March 7, was also called off on March 6 due to coronavirus fears.
March 8, 2020
Ajax assistant manager, Christian Poulsen, was quarantined due to coronavirus worries
Ajax told their assistant manager, Christian Poulsen, and two other members of training staff to stay away from the club for attending a birthday party with someone who had since tested positive for Covid-19.
March 9, 2020
Asian World Cup qualifying matches postponed due to coronavirus fears
Fifa and AFC agreed to postpone the Asian World Cup qualifying matches in March and June over coronavirus fears.
March 9, 2020
PSG faced Dortmund behind closed doors due to coronavirus worries
Paris Saint-Germain faced Borussia Dortmund at home in the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie with no fans allowed to attend the match.
March 10, 2020
AC Milan donate €250,000 to help emergency efforts against corona spread
AC Milan and Fondazione Milan jointly donated a sum of €250,000 to help AREU, the emergency arm of the Lombardy region's government, prevent the further spread of coronavirus in Italy.
March 10, 2020
Restrictions were put on the number of attendees for Ligue 1 matches - at most 1000 fans
French authorities restricted the number of people who could attend Ligue 1 games 1000. They also decided some of the games in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to be played behind closed doors, until at least April 15.
March 10, 2020
Atalanta ask their fans to not celebrate in public due to coronavirus fears
Atalanta requested their fans not to celebrate their Champions League quarter-final qualification with public gatherings after Italy was put on a lockdown in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
March 10, 2020
Nottingham Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, was tested positive for coronavirus
Although Marinakis had earlier revealed he had been diagnosed with coronavirus on Instagram, breaking news on him contracting the virus confirmed what he had already revealed.
March 11, 2020
Olympiacos players were tested negative for coronavirus
A day after it was announced that Olympiacos owner, Evangelos Marinakis, had been infected with coronavirus, all players and staff members of the club went through coronavirus tests that revealed they were not infected as yet.
March 11, 2020
Monchengladbach beat Cologne behind closed doors
In Germany, the rescheduled Bundesliga match between Borussia Monchengladbach and Cologne, which was originally cancelled due to Storm Ciara, was played behind closed doors, with Monchengladbach beating Cologne 2-1.
March 11, 2020
Man City- Arsenal was postponed due to coronavirus fears
City were scheduled to host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday March 11, but the match did not take place as a precaution to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
March 11, 2020
Hannover defender, Timo Hubers, was tested positive for coronavirus
In a statement released on the same day, Hannover said Hubers immediately had isolated himself after being diagnosed with the coronavirus.
March 11, 2020
Coupe de la Ligue final between PSG and Lyon postponed due to coronavirus fears
The Coupe de la Ligue final between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon was postponed due to growing concerns over the spread of coronavirus. The game was due to take place at the Stade de France on April 4.
March 11, 2020
The 70th FIFA congress was postponed to three months later due to coronavirus worries
The 70th FIFA Congress was due to take place on June 5 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but it was postponed to September 18 amid growing fears of coronavirus spread.
March 11, 2020
UEFA cancelled Sevilla-Roma and Inter-Getafe games
Travel restrictions due to coronavirus forced UEFA to call off the first legs of the Europa League ties between Sevilla and Roma, and Inter and Getafe.
March 11, 2020
PSG forward Kylian Mbappe was tested negative for coronavirus
PSG forward Kylian Mbappe missed two days training with a throat infection, and took a test to see if he was COVID-19 positive, but his results came back negative.
March 11, 2020
Copa del Rey final was postponed due to coronavirus worries
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed that the Copa del Rey final between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao had been postponed due to coronavirus worries.
March 11, 2020
Ronaldo stayed in Maderia not participating in Juventus training due to coronavirus fears
Cristiano Ronaldo, who had travelled to his homeland earlier to spend time with his mother, could not leave for Italy to join Juventus training due to travel restrictions over the spread of coronavirus.
March 11, 2020
CONMEBOL asked FIFA to postpone World Cup qualifiers over coronavirus fears
In a letter sent to FIFA on Wednesday, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) requested the governing body to postpone South America's 2022 World Cup qualifying round scheduled for March 26, 27 and 31, to a later date due to worries over coronavirus spread.
March 12, 2020
LaLiga games were postponed due to growing fears over coronavirus
LaLiga games, set to be played behind closed doors, were postponed for two match days as a Real Madrid basketball team player was tested positive for coronavirus.
March 12, 2020
Bosnia-Herzegovina asked UEFA to postpone Euro 2020 play-off against Northern Ireland
The Football Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (NFSBIH) wrote to UEFA on March 12, asking the governing body to postpone their Euro 2020 play-off against Northern Ireland due to coronavirus fears.
March 12, 2020
Sampdoria forward, Gabbiadini, was tested positive for the coronavirus
Gabbiadini is the second professional player in Serie A after Juventus and Italy defender Daniele Rugani to contract COVID-19. Although feeling well, he was isolated from his teammates.
March 12, 2020
Leicester City isolated three of their players who showed symptoms suggesting of coronavirus
Leicester City manager, Brendan Rodgers, confirmed three of his players had shown symptoms of coronavirus and had been isolated from their teammates.
March 12, 2020
Roma did not travel to Spain for their Europa League tie against Sevilla
The Italian club said on Twitter one day before their Europa League last-16 match against Sevilla that their plane from Italy was not authorized to land in Spain.
March 12, 2020
Juventus' Daniele Rugani was tested positive for coronavirus
Juventus confirmed that their centre-back Rugani had contracted COVID-19, although he showed no signs of the disease.
March 12, 2020
Olympiacos-Wolves, LASK-Man Utd played behind closed doors
Wolves' Europa League last-16 first-leg tie at Olympiacos was played behind closed doors. The first leg of Manchester United's Europa League tie against LASK was also played behind closed doors with Man Utd beating LASK 5-0.
March 13, 2020
Celtic banned their players from selfies and fan events amid coronavirus fears
Celtic told their stars to avoid interaction with fans, including giving autographs and taking selfies, lest they might contract COVID-19.
March 13, 2020
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, was tested positive for coronavirus
Mikel Arteta was tested positive for coronavirus and the Arsenal squad were expected to self-isolate. The club said in a statement on March 13, that its London Colney training centre had also been closed as a result of the diagnosis.
March 13, 2020
Everton placed their squad on self-isolation amid growing fears of coronavirus contraction
Everton placed their first-team squad and coaching staff on self-isolation after a first-team player showed symptoms suggesting of coronavirus.
March 13, 2020
UEFA postponed Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Youth League matches due to corona worries
UEFA postponed all Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Youth League matches scheduled to take place in the coming week to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
March 13, 2020
Barcelona cancelled their first-team training as recommended by RFEF
Barcelona suspended all first-team activity until further notice as the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) recommended clubs cancel group training sessions in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
March 13, 2020
Four Sampdoria players were tested positive for coronavirus
Sampdoria confirmed that four players in their first-team, plus one of the club's medical staff, were tested positive for COVID-19.
March 14, 2020
Bundesliga fixtures are postponed due to growing fears over coronavirus
Bundesliga fixtures scheduled for this weekend were all postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The growing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have led to Serie A, LaLiga, Ligue 1 and the Premier League suspension.
March 14, 2020
Premier League season put on hold until April 3 due to coronavirus worries
All Premier League and English Football League matches have been postponed at least until April 3 after club officials met on Friday (March 13, 2020).
March 14, 2020
Man City, Southampton and Leganes find new ways to entertain their fans despite coronavirus fears
First, Leganes, in a bid to help keep people in their homes in Spain posted live updates of a fictitious match against Real Valladolid, who they were originally due to host this weekend. Inspired by their Spanish counterparts, Southampton also tried to get Norwich City – their scheduled Premier League opponents – involved in an online game of noughts and crosses.
March 14, 2020
Health always comes first, says Messi in the face of coronavirus epidemic
After Ronaldo, Jurgen Klopp, Paul Pogba and other leading names from the football world spoke out to encourage the public to take precautions for their health, Messi followed suit with a post on his Instagram account.
March 14, 2020
West Ham vice-chairman, Karren Brady, calls for the full suspension of the Premier League
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady called for the Premier League and EFL seasons to be declared null and void, claiming the move would be "the only fair and reasonable thing to do" in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
March 14, 2020
Germany confirm their friendly game with Italy has been cancelled
Italy's scheduled upcoming friendly in Germany has been cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, the German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed.
March 14, 2020
Ogbonna slams English football for their sluggish and unacceptable response to coronavirus crisis
Angelo Ogbonna has criticised English football's response to the coronavirus pandemic, insisting it is "unacceptable" West Ham's Premier League clash with Arsenal went ahead.
March 14, 2020
WHO thanks Ronaldo, Pogba and Klopp for their consideration for global health threatened by coronavirus
Jurgen Klopp, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba received a message of thanks from World Health Organisation director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for "promoting health and protecting people from coronavirus".
March 14, 2020
Mendy confirms people around him tested negative for coronavirus
After isolating himself as a precaution earlier this week, Manchester City left-back, Benjamin Mendy, finally revealed that those around him were tested negative for coronavirus.
March 14, 2020
Former Liverpool defender, Carragher, is against the idea of Premier League shut-down due to coronavirus
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady suggested that the Premier League should be 'voided' in a measure to combat coronavirus spread, but the former Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher is against the idea as a resolution.
March 14, 2020
Major European leagues put on hold due to coronavirus pandemic
Major European leagues, namely the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, have all been suspended due to fears over further spread of coronavirus.
March 15, 2020
River Plate refuse to go ahead with Copa Superliga opener
River Plate's Copa Superliga clash with Atletico Tucuman was called off on Saturday, March 15, 2020 after the home side refused to open their stadium. Although domestic football in Argentina has remained largely unaffected, River insisted on Friday that, due to safety concerns over the spread of coronavirus, they would not face Atletico Tucuman.
March 15, 2020
More sporting events called off but the Olympics is still on
The coronavirus pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the sporting calendar on Saturday, March 15, 2020 with more major events and competitions being called off or postponed. However, Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe, confident that the Olympic games will be staged without any problem, said his country still plan for the 2020 Olympic Games to go ahead in Tokyo, starting in late July.
March 15, 2020
Liverpool donate £40,000 to a charity initiative to combat the spread of coronavirus
Liverpool's first-team have donated £40,000 to a charity initiative called Fans Supporting Foodbanks amid the growing fears of coronavirus spread.
March 15, 2020
England and Everton goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, goes against advises to self-isolate
Everton shut down their facilities, with their players and staff advised to self-isolate after a member of their staff, preferred to remain anonymous, showed symptoms of coronavirus. However, the 26-year-old goalkeeper, though insisting that he has not gone against advises, attended a charity boxing evening in Durham alongside his wife.
March 15, 2020
Marseille president, Eyraud, and his Lyon counterpart, Aulas, clash over coronavirus countermeasure proposal
Marseille president, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, and his Lyon counterpart, Jean-Michel Aulas, have been involved in a COVID-19 spat after the latter proposed the Ligue 1 season should be cancelled amid fears over coronavirus spread. "When his fever has come down, Jean-Michel Aulas will see the obscenity of his opportunism and will quickly return to the values that make him a great footballing operator," Eyraud told Le Journal du Dimanche.
March 15, 2020
Inter Milan head coach, Antonio Conte, urges people to stay at home for their own safety
Inter head coach, Antonio Conte, made a plea for people to stay at home and follow health instructions amid the coronavirus emergency in Italy. "Please stay home and respect the rules. It's difficult and tough moment but if we stick together, we'll get through it. Don't give up!" said Antonio Conte in a video message posted via Inter's official channels.
March 15, 2020
Fiorentina forward, Dusan Vlahovic, plus two of his teammates tested positive for coronavirus
Fiorentina star, Dusan Vlahovic, is the latest man in Italy's football to be infected by COVID-19. He said his fever reached 39 degrees when he was diagnosed with the virus. his two other teammates, namely Patrick Cutrone and German Pezzella, are also tested positive for the virus. With more than 21,100 positive cases and 1400 deaths, after China, Italy has been the hardest hit by the virus.
March 15, 2020
PFA asks Melbourne Victory players to self-quarantine as a measure against coronavirus
In a statement, PFA (Professional Footballers Australia) noted Melbourne Victory's players and staff would have to undergo a compulsory 14-day self-quarantine period when they return home. "While we acknowledge that the response to coronavirus is constantly evolving, the government’s reactionary behaviour and ad-hoc decision-making on travel and sporting events has placed the players in a challenging personal position," PFA chief executive John Didulica said.
March 15, 2020
Coronavirus hits LaLiga with Garay, the first player in the Spanish league to contract the virus
Valencia defender, Ezequiel Garay, is the first LaLiga player to confirm he has contracted coronavirus. "I have tested positive for coronavirus but feel very well. Now it only remains to pay attention to the health authorities and, for now, be isolated,” said Garay on Instagram.
March 15, 2020
Mexico's Liga MX to be played behind closed doors as a countermeasure against coronavirus
According to Hugo Lopez Gattel, Deputy Health Minister of Mexico, matches between topflight teams in Mexican football will be played behind closed doors as a countermeasure against the further spread of coronavirus.
March 15, 2020
Four of Valencia players and staff besides Garay tested positive for coronavirus
Not only Garay but also four other players and staff of Valencia including Mangala have been tested positive for coronavirus so far. The club say they are in good health and quarantined.
March 15, 2020
The West Ham vice-chairman, Karren Brady, defends her comments concerning coronavirus
The West Ham vice-chairman was accused of putting her own club's interests first in her previous comments concerning coronavirus and shutting down of the Premier League. However, she has hit back saying she was merely thinking of players and fans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
March 15, 2020
Paul Pogba launches fundraiser campaign to help combat coronavirus
Paul Pogba used his 27th birthday to launch a campaign to raise funds for Unicef's coronavirus operations, saying: "At times like this, we need to come together." The Manchester United midfielder said he hoped to raise £27,000 for the charity and promised to double the amount if the target is reached.
Comments
Post a Comment