ALL FOOTBALL SUSPENDED

Not since WWII has the world, never mind football, seen anything like this.

As Coronavirus invaded country after country, with football leagues across the world stepping from fully functional, to behind closed doors, the inevitable and correct decisions swiftly followed.

On Friday 13 March the English FA announced that all top flight football would be suspended until the weekend of 3rd April. Following further meetings with the Chief Executives of Premier League clubs, just 6 days later this date was further extended to 30th April.

And whilst most, but not all, Premier League clubs seem desperate to conclude the season in some form there seems a real possibility that the 2019/20 season could fall foul and not reach a natural conclusion. Who’d have thought that just a few short weeks ago.

What ever happens from here on in, there is going to be chaos and discontent in the world of football. Right now, quite frankly, there are more important things to think about.

The spread of COVID-19 across the globe is, even by the World Health Organisations standards, a fully blown pandemic is of a kind not seen in modern history. Sport, for all its passion, emotion and escapist properties would be grand to have in our lives of course, but rightly the show could not go on. Even before the words ‘lockdown’ and ‘social distancing’ became common phrase there was no place for mass gatherings in football stadia or the resultant drain on precious emergency services resources.

Hopefully we will have our beautiful game back soon. For now all anyone really wants is for our family, friends, colleagues and society as a whole to come out of this as unscathed as humanly possible.

From all of us here at NUFC.org, stay safe and look after your loved ones.