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As it happenedended

Coronavirus sport news – live: Man City v Arsenal postponed over outbreak fears as Champions League fixtures played behind closed doors

Follow latest updates as coronavirus continues to take its toll on the sporting world

Alex Pattle
Wednesday 11 March 2020 20:00 GMT
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Man City's fixture with Arsenal was called off on Tuesday evening
Man City's fixture with Arsenal was called off on Tuesday evening (Getty)

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Manchester City were set to host Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday night, but the fixture has become the latest sporting event to be affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

A number of Arsenal players are in self-isolation after they met Evangelos Marinakis, the Olympiakos owner, who has contracted Covid-19. Marinakis visited the Emirates when Arsenal hosted Olympiakos in the Europa League on 27 February – 13 days ago – and came into close contact with club personnel.

Arsenal said that, according to medical advice, the risk of those who met Marinakis contracting coronavirus was “extremely low”, but the postponement and self-isolation are a “precautionary measure.” Follow the latest updates below:

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Follow our live coverage of the latest updates from the sporting world as the coronavirus continues to impact fixtures across numerous sports.

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 10:37

The biggest news from overnight is the postponement of Arsenal's Premier League fixture against Manchester City.

Arsenal were set to make the trip to Manchester ahead of the tie tonight, but that is no longer the case.

A number of Arsenal players are self-isolating after contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who has contracted Covid-19.

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:17

You can read more about the situation here:

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:17

Government guidelines recommend that those who come into close contact with someone who has the virus must self-isolate at home for 14 days from the time of contact.

So, what does that mean for Arsenal's scheduled Premier League game at Brighton this weekend?

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:18

Well, Marinakis visited the Emirates when Arsenal hosted Olympiacos in the Europa League on 27 February - 13 days ago.

So the self-isolation period of two weeks affected the Man City game, but will have run out by the time Arsenal travel to Brighton on Saturday.

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:22

The Premier League said that there are currently no plans to postpone further fixtures, with a full complement of games scheduled for this weekend.

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:23

Also on Tuesday, Spain's top football flight La Liga announced its next two rounds of fixtures will be played behind closed doors due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak.

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:31

Meanwhile, France's Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 will not play with fans in attendance until 15 April, and most matches in Germany's Bundesliga this weekend will be under similar restrictions, including the Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke.

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:38

The president of La Liga side Getafe said his team will not travel to Italy to play Inter Milan in the Europa League on Thursday because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Angel Torres said he does not want to risk his players' health by travelling to an area struggling to contain the spread of the virus. He also said he was concerned the team would not be able to return to Spain because of travel restrictions.

"If we are eliminated because of that, so be it," Torres told Spanish radio station Onda Cero late on Tuesday. "I'm not going to be the one taking any risks. I'm not going to go to a place where I don't want to go."

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 11:49

RB Leipzig, who hosted Tottenham in the Champions League last night, have just announced their Bundesliga home game against Freiburg will be played behind closed doors on Saturday.

Alex Pattle11 March 2020 12:00

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