Coronavirus and sport

Jonathan Jurejko

BBC Sport

Hardly unsurprising in a sport which sees players compete on
global tours, but an announcement extending the suspension of ATP and WTA
events could be made later today.

The tours are currently on hold up to 13 July – following the
conclusion of Wimbledon, which was cancelled for the first time since World War
II.

The suspension is set to be extended up to the start of August.

The US Open, which usually takes place in New York at the end of
August and is the next Grand Slam in the diary, remains pencilled in for now.

This latest update will see all ATP tournaments in July
suspended, with the Hamburg Open – a third-tier 500 level event – being the
biggest casualty.

On the WTA side, lower-category tournaments in Bucharest and
Lausanne on 13 July will be called off with similar events in Jurmala and
Palermo on 20 July set to follow.

The North American hard-court season, which culminates with the
US Open, remains in place at the moment.

The extended suspension runs up to events in San Jose and
Washington on 3 August, which are usually followed by the Rogers Cup and
Cincinnati Open – both in the category of biggest tournaments outside of the
Grand Slams.

Attempting to restart the League One and League Two campaigns is likely to be more difficult than in the Championship and Premier League, which could begin again in mid-June behind closed doors.

Many clubs in the third and fourth tiers have furloughed their players and, with no crowds allowed into stadiums for the foreseeable future, it would cost them money to stage games.

EFL chairman Rick Parry has also said 1,400 players across the league’s three divisions are out of contract on 30 June. The majority of those players are in League One and League Two.

BBC Sport understands there is a general acceptance among clubs in both League One and League Two that resuming the current campaign is impossible because of a lack of money.

But on Thursday Peterborough United, Oxford United, Sunderland, Fleetwood, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town released a joint statement saying they had “no desire for voiding the season, points-per-game scenarios or letting a computer decide our footballing fate”.

A Twitter post by Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony, whose side are sixth with nine games to play, added: “For our fans/staff and for the integrity of our sport, we are all looking forward to completing our pending fixtures/season under guidance from the EFL at a time it is deemed safe to do so.”

It is understood Friday’s meeting via conference call saw clubs unable to come to a united position and so they will reconvene early next week.

Friday’s meeting involving all 23 League One sides came after six clubs had said they were determined to complete their remaining fixtures.

The league was halted on 13 March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The clubs will meet again next week, while teams in League Two are due to carry out discussions later on Friday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp tells Dan Walker and Football Focus about his life in lockdown, meeting Steven Gerrard for the first time and why he misses his players and staff at Melwood the most.

While we wait for an update from the meeting involving League One clubs, here’s an interesting story from Germany.

Augsburg head coach Heiko Herrlich will miss the Bundesliga restart after breaching quarantine rules by leaving the team hotel to buy toothpaste.

Herrlich, whose side face Wolfsburg on Saturday, told a news conference on Thursday that he had visited a shop, breaking league rules.

Teams preparing for the German league to restart this weekend have been staying in quarantine.

“I made a mistake by leaving the hotel,” he said in a statement later.

You can read more here.

While today is all about the EFL, the Premier League hopes for a return to action on 12 June, with matches played behind closed doors.

On Thursday, the UK government said it is “opening the door” for the return of professional football in England in June.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said a meeting with the Football Association, Premier League and English Football League had “progressed plans”.

But where will matches be played? And do the players support the plans?

We answer some of the key questions about ‘Project Restart’ here.

To resume or not to resume, that is the question on the lips of the EFL’s League One and League Two clubs this morning, as they meet to decide the outcome of the current season.

Among those involved in the debate are Wycombe Wanderers, eighth as it stands, and still in with a shout for promotion from League One. However, football is still a secondary concern for their boss Gareth Ainsworth during the pandemic.

“I feel guilty talking about it when there are 500 people a day dying,” he told BBC Radio 5 LIve. “It’s really important to me we don’t jump the gun without making sure it ‘s comfortably safe for everybody.

“We’re ready for anything, we’re adaptable. Financially, continuing the season would be a real stretch for us.

“There’s a big moral thing you have to look at, as a manager my job is to keep the players safe – and there will be pressure on all clubs, they will have their own wants.

“But, the health issue is the main thing, to make sure everything is safe.”

Ian Dennis

BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter

In a draft document for a protocol to return to training, the EFL says the testing program will be funded by the League, which will provide all reasonable logistical support to ensure that the program runs effectively.

The level of testing remains subject to confirmation of Government advice and thetesting process to be advised by the League is currently being finalised.

Details will be confirmed in good time before testing is to commence. This protocol will require the consent of all stakeholders and the agreement of Clubs.

Here’s a look at the League Two table, where Crewe and Swindon are level on 69 points at the top, although the Robins have a game in hand.

Stevenage are three points from safety at the bottom, but they too have a game in hand over Macclesfield in 23rd.

Today could be a watershed moment for clubs in Leagues One and Two, as they discuss options around completing the season amid the coronavirus outbreak.

If the season is scrapped, there are repercussions in terms of promotion and relegation, and future finances with no income coming in.

Resumption would also be tough, as a return to games in front of crowds is an unlikely prospect, and the cost of ensuring testing protocols on top of other associated costs would put huge pressure on already tight budgets.

“[The future of the divisions] may depend on the decision,” Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Financially some clubs may not be able to function through this period with no fans coming in.

“They’re talking about neutral grounds, but the hotels aren’t even open for away trips at the moment so there are a lot of logistical things to go through and I’m sure there are some owners and chairman and staff at clubs very worried, and rightly so.

“But, money becomes insignificant when people are dying around the world.”

Six clubs are determined to finish the League One season by completing their remaining fixtures, says Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony.

MacAnthony released a statement on behalf of Posh, Oxford, Sunderland, Fleetwood, Portsmouth and Ipswich.

Peterborough are currently sixth with nine games to play and are three points off the automatic promotion places.

MacAnthony posted on social media on behalf of the six clubs, who range from Oxford in third place to 10th-placed Ipswich, to announce their stance.

“We have no desire for voiding the season, points-per-game scenarios or letting a computer decide our footballing fate,” he said on Twitter.

You can read more here.

Here’s a look at the League One table as it stood when play was halted in March because of the coronanvirus pandemic.

Talking of Coventry, it’s a big day for the Sky Blues, who are expected to learn their fate this morning.

League One clubs are meeting to discuss options for completing the season, with Mark Robins’s side five points clear at the top of the table.

League Two clubs are also meeting today to determine what will happen in the fourth tier.

Stay tuned to find out the verdict…

A man is running 260km (161.5 miles) during Ramadan – covering 10km each night after a 16-hour fast.

Haroon Mota, 34, from Coventry, had planned to run four major world marathons in five weeks until the lockdown made that impossible.

Mr Mota has already raised £18,000 of a target of £25,000 for the Penny Appeal, the charity for which he works.

You can hear more from Haroon on the BBC Asian Network at 12:30 BST.

The Director General of the Tokyo Olympics and
Paralympics, Toshiro Muto, has been speaking to the media about next year’s rearranged events this morning.

Muto said they had “no idea”
how the IOC planned to spend the money and that they were still working out the
total cost of the delay.

“Our position for the
organising committee is to do everything we can to prepare to have the Games in
2021 and we will continue to do everything we can for that,” he said.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games that we have one
year from now may not be same Olympics and Paralympics that we have come to
know.”

Newcastle racecourse will host the first fixture under plans for British horse racing’s return behind closed doors next month.

If a return to action is approved by the government, the first meeting would be held on 1 June.

Racing in Britain has been suspended since 17 March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The British Horseracing Authority is proposing a total of 18 meetings in the first eight days after it resumes.

• More on this story here.

World Rugby has confirmed that this summer’s tours have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

With many countries restricting people’s movements and some borders closed or under strict controls, the move is not unexpected.

Wales were due to tour Japan and New Zealand while England have long been resigned to not going to Japan.

Scotland were due in South Africa and New Zealand with Ireland heading to Australia.

You can read more here.