Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola believes the Premier League should be halted as soon as lockdown is effected in the UK from Thursday (November 5). British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has given the green light for the Premier League to continue as the nation prepares to go into lockdown this week.
Guardiola sensationally declared that he does not want football to continue while other businesses shut up shop – but says Manchester City will play on if required.
“It’s difficult. I know the Prime Minister is taking the decision because the situation is getting worse,” Guardiola said in a press conference on Monday.
“It happened in Spain, Germany and France. Everywhere.
“So the virus is still there. Maybe people say it is stronger. I think the world of football cannot be an exception in what is happening in society.”
Johnson announced the restrictions on Saturday (October 31) with all non-essential services to close from Thursday for at least four weeks. While elite-level sport will be allowed to continue with games still being played behind closed doors Guardiola has communicated his unease at continuing while other businesses shut down. However, he said that if required, City would fulfill all commitments.
“So if we have to play, we will play. But we don’t want to be different from the rest of society when they have to close restaurants or close whatever,” he said.
The Spaniard says City cannot stand apart from society when it comes to coronavirus
“It’s a position in which I am not involved. I want to be safe. I want to keep well for myself, for my family, my friends, for all England, all of the UK. But honestly I don’t know.”
Guardiola, whose mother died of coronavirus, donated £1m to a hospital in Catalonia, and he urged the public to take the second wave of Covid-19 seriously, and do as asked and stay inside their homes.
“It’s not a joke. It’s serious,’ he added. ‘If he (the Prime Minister) says stay at home, you have to stay at home. If he says don’t do this, we don’t do it.
“Because it’s not fair for half of the population doing what we have to do and the Prime Minister says this, and the rest of the people do whatever they want.
“So we have to be conscious – the reality is tough, it’s difficult. If we have to stop, we are going to stop.
“If we have to play, because they decide it’s good for society or for I don’t know, just be alert, be careful, take maximum consciousness of the dangers of the situation in which we are living.”
Government is still to make a decision over whether the FA Cup first round will go ahead in full.
