Just 11 days ago, Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp scoffed at the notion of the coronavirus outbreak negating his side’s title season. At the time, he was totally fine in taking such a position, because that was the world we lived in.
Things have escalated quickly since then. Actually, they escalated at a pace that’s unprecedented. And as of this morning, the Premier League has suspended play until April 3. With LFC champions-elect, and set to end their top flight title drought (which extends back to 1990), they certainly have the most to lose, of anyone, now that the 2019-20 PL season is in limbo.
25 points up, although Manchester City has a game in hand, all these need is nine more points to make it official. They’re so close to the finish line, why not just give them the hardware?
Well, it’s another discussion for another time. Today is about dealing with the reality at hand, and it’s exactly what Jurgen Klopp had to say. Here’s his statement in full:
I donโt think this is a moment where the thoughts of a football manager should be important, but I understand for our supporters they will want to hear from the team and I will front that. First and foremost, all of us have to do whatever we can to protect one another.
In society I mean. This should be the case all the time in life, but in this moment I think it matters more than ever. Iโve said before that football always seems the most important of the least important things. Today, football and football matches really arenโt important at all.
Of course, we donโt want to play in front of an empty stadium and we donโt want games or competitions suspended, but if doing so helps one individual stay healthy โ just one โ we do it no questions asked. If itโs a choice between football and the good of the wider society, itโs no contest. Really, it isnโt.
So that’s it. Try to enjoy this weekend, in spite of no PL football, and do whatever it is you do in your leisure time that makes you happy. Hopefully, this will pass soon, maybe the hysteria will die down in April and things will get back to normal; for all of us.
Paul M. Banks runsย The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered withย News Now.ย Banks, the author ofย โNo,ย ย I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,โ regularly appears onย WGN CLTVย and co-hosts theย โLetโs Get Weird, Sportsโ podcastย onย SB Nation.ย
You can follow Banks, a former writer forย NBC Chicago.comย andย Chicago Tribune.comย onย Twitter hereย and hisย cat on Instagram at this link
