Coronavirus sport news – live: Premier League suspended as Champions League and Europa League matches also cancelled
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Follow live coverage where the Premier League has agreed to postpone the season until at least 4 April at in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Independent has been told that several clubs have pushed for a suspension and that there is a minority of officials who will argue that the campaign should be voided altogether.
Uefa have confirmed that all Champions League and Europa League games next week, including Bayern Munich vs Chelsea and Man City vs Real Madrid, have been cancelled. This comes after Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta tested positive for the virus as has Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.
England’s cricket tour of Sri Lanka has been called off while elsewhere, Formula One have cancelled the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. A member of McLaren’s team tested positive for Covid-19, leading the constructors to withdraw from this weekend’s planned race. F1 later announced the race would not go ahead. Follow the latest updates here:
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The Premier League had previously taken their lead from the government, which had been adamant that closing stadiums was reactionary, and not actually that beneficial.
That stance has been undercut by participating figures like Arteta and Hudson-Odoi actually contracting the virus, as it illustrates a host of other problems beyond the actual benefit of shutting down mass gatherings like football matches.
Follow all the latest updates as coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the sporting world.
The biggest stories from overnight are Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi testing positive for the disease.
A statement from Arsenal read: "Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution.
We expect those who did not have close contact with Mikel to return to work in the coming days. In the meantime our Colney and Hale End training centres will undergo a deep clean and our other club sites are operating as normal."
A statement from Chelsea read: "Chelsea personnel who had recent close contact with [Hudson-Odoi] in the men’s team building will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. These will include initially the full men’s team squad, coaching staff and a number of backroom staff."
Chelsea coach Frank Lampard will no longer carry out a press conference today, either.
Another significant story from overnight is the postponement of Formula One's Australian Grand Prix.
The season-opening race was set to take place this weekend, but was pulled after McLaren withdrew due to one of their team members testing positive for coronavirus.
In a wrap of yesterday's news:
La Liga suspended its season for two weeks.
Tennis' ATP tour suspended its season for six weeks, meaning the Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters join Indian Wells in being cancelled.
Man City vs Real Madrid and Juventus vs Lyon in the Champions League will not go ahead next week.
Uefa will meet next week to discuss the possible postponement of Euro 2020.
The NBA season was suspended indefinitely.
Sampdoria player Manolo Gabbiadini tested positive for coronavirus.
Boxing matches featuring Shakur Stevenson and Michael Conlan will take place behind closed doors in New York.
Those are the main headlines from yesterday, though there have been many developments across all sports.
The Premier League has called an emergency meeting and The Independent has been told that some clubs will push for the season to be suspended, while a small number of officials will argue the season should be voided.
In golf news, the PGA Tour’s Players Championship at Sawgrass was cancelled on Thursday night after the completion of the first round, owing to coronavirus concerns.
Organisers had already announced that the remaining three rounds across the weekend would take place without fans in attendance, in an effort to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. But a text message was sent to all players late on Thursday to confirm that the tournament – widely regarded as the ‘unofficial fifth major’ – would not resume in the morning.
“We did everything possible to create a safe environment for our players in order to continue the event throughout the weekend, and we were endeavouring to give our fans a much-needed respite from the current climate,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.
“But at this point – and as the situation continues to rapidly change – the right thing to do for our players and our fans is to pause.”
The PGA also confirmed that the next three weeks of the Tour schedule will be cancelled, which includes the Valspar Championship at Copperhead, the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic and the Valero Texas Open, meaning there will be no golf played until the Masters on 9 April.
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