Football League players fighting clubs over proposals to impose huge wage cuts amid pandemic

2020 OLYMPIC GAMES  

The 2020 Olympic Game titles has been postponed till 2021 on March 24 – getting to be just one of the final main sporting functions this summer months to slide target to the coronavirus.

Japanese key minister Shinzo Abe held a very important convention phone with Olympics main Thomas Bach on Tuesday to formally make a decision a program and they have picked to postpone for twelve months.

The selection also suggests the Tokyo Paralympic Game titles will be topic to a just one-yr hold off.

Irrespective of the hold off, the title of the delayed Game titles will still be Tokyo 2020, the city’s governor Yuriko Koike revealed.

A joint assertion from the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organising committee browse: ‘In the present circumstances and based on the information furnished by the WHO these days, the IOC President and the Key Minister of Japan have concluded that the Game titles of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo will have to be rescheduled to a day over and above 2020 but not later than summer months 2021, to safeguard the overall health of the athletes, every person involved in the Olympic Game titles and the intercontinental neighborhood.

‘The leaders agreed that the Olympic Game titles in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the planet for the duration of these troubled instances and that the Olympic flame could turn out to be the mild at the stop of the tunnel in which the planet finds itself at present. 

‘Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will continue to be in Japan. It was also agreed that the Game titles will hold the title Olympic and Paralympic Game titles Tokyo 2020.’ 

There was loads of scepticism whether or not the Olympics would pull by means of and carry on as scheduled even though functions joined to the online games were identified as off. The Olympic torch relay in Greece was cancelled on Friday March 13 – just a working day right after the flame was lit in Olympia.

Massive crowds mobbed Hollywood actor Gerard Butler as he lit the cauldron in the Greek town of Sparta even with recurring warnings for spectators not to attend due to the fact of coronavirus.

That pressured the selection by the Greek Olympic Committee to halt the torch relay on Greek soil on just the next working day of its scheduled eight-working day journey. It is the only the third time that a relay to Athens for the summer months Game titles has not been done.

The Olympic flame will still be handed more than to the Tokyo 2020 organising committee at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on Thursday March 19, but without fans present. 

Athletes were informed to hold instruction but numerous struggled thinking of the authorities lock-down measures place in put. 

On Friday March 13 US president Donald Trump’s recommendation to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for a yr due to the fact of the coronavirus was quickly shot down by Japan’s Olympic minister.

‘The IOC and the organising committee are not thinking of cancellation or a postponement – totally not at all,’ Seiko Hashimoto, an Olympic bronze medalist, informed a information convention in Tokyo.

On Tuesday March 17, Kozo Tashima, just one of the Japanese Olympic Committee’s vice presidents and president of the Japanese Football Association, tested good for coronavirus.  

The Worldwide Olympic Committee and Tokyo organisers have stayed on message considering the fact that the viral outbreak in China three months back distribute across Asia and then the world: The online games will open up as scheduled on July 24. 

Tokyo 2020 organisers received the Olympic flame in a scaled-down handover ceremony in the Greek cash on March 19. 

ATHLETICS 

The Planet Athletics Indoor Championships, which was owing to be held from March 13-15 in Nanjing, is postponed till March 2021.

North Korea cancelled the Pyongyang Marathon scheduled for April right after imposing a border lockdown owing to the degree of outbreak in South Korea, exactly where the Seoul Marathon is cancelled in a bid to shield runners.

The Paris 50 percent-marathon is cancelled and the French authorities also decided to ban all general public gatherings of extra than 100 individuals, prior to ordering individuals to continue to be at residence from March 15 for at least 15 days. The race involving some forty four,000 opponents was scheduled for Sunday March one. Organisers reported the race will be postponed to a day however to be established.

The London Marathon, which experienced been scheduled to just take put on April 26, has been postponed till October four. Over forty,000 runners were owing to just take element. 

The Barcelona marathon scheduled for March 15 has been postponed till October.

BOXING 

Olympic boxing qualifiers to be staged in Wuhan were cancelled by the Worldwide Olympic Committee, but went ahead in Amman from March 3-11.

The IBF title battle between Daniele Scardina and Andr
ew Francillette in Milan on February 28 was postponed by Matchroom owing to limitations in Italy subsequent the outbreak.

The Japanese boxing fee cancelled all battle playing cards scheduled for March on authorities information to suspend all pending sporting fixtures. They will not be rescheduled.

The British Boxing Board of Manage announced on Tuesday March 17 that all boxing functions underneath their jurisdiction for March will be postponed owing to the coronavirus.

That selection has guide to the heavyweight clash between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce currently being postponed. That battle, which experienced been penciled in for April 11, has been rescheduled for July 11 at the O2 Arena. 

Anthony Yarde, who was owing to battle Lyndon Arthur on the undercard of the all-British clash, announced on March 29 that his father experienced died as a consequence of contracting the coronavirus. 

He revealed in an Instagram article that he experienced no underlying overall health challenges and urged everybody to continue to be at residence.  

Matchroom Boxing has also postponed all functions scheduled for March and April, such as Josh Kelly’s European title battle towards Russia’s David Avanesyan (scheduled for March 28). 

The European Olympic boxing qualification match in London has been suspended. It was owing to secure qualification for Tokyo 2020 for 77 male and woman boxers, with 322 getting element. 

Matchroom Boxing main Eddie Hearn has reported Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defence towards Kubrat Pulev, which is scheduled for June 20, could be rearranged for July. All Matchroom promoted fights in March and April have been postponed. 

Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders, earmarked for May in Las Vegas, was postponed prior to even currently being announced, having said that the Mexican is reportedly still setting up to make the bout transpire in June. 

CRICKET 

England’s tour of Sri Lanka was postponed on March 13, with the England and Wales Cricket Board citing ‘completely unprecedented times’.

The selection was confirmed even though Joe Root’s facet were in the industry at Colombo’s P Sara Oval, contesting a heat-up match for a two-Test collection.

On March eighteen, the West Indies made available to host England’s impending residence Exams towards them in the Caribbean rather of in the British isles – should the coronavirus outbreak not have improved by then. England are owing to facial area the Windies in a a three-Test collection, which is owing to begin at the Oval on June four but could be delayed till September. If taking part in the collection in England proves unworkable, CWI have made available to move in for this collection, and also for England’s three Exams towards Pakistan, owing to begin on July 30. Although there are Covid-19 circumstances in the Caribbean, its affect there has been limited so significantly. 

The begin of the Indian Premier League time has also been delayed till April 15. The 2020 campaign experienced been set to begin on March 29. The IPL franchises are also completely ready to quarantine their international players for a time period of 14 days, if journey limitations are lifted to make it possible for them to arrive.

On March 13, India’s ongoing just one-working day intercontinental collection towards South Africa was postponed, even though Australia’s just one-working day internationals towards New Zealand will be played driving closed doorways.

Scotland’s just one-working day collection towards the United States and UAE have been postponed. The online games were scheduled to be played in Florida in April. 

England’s cricketers would not play any rescheduled Test collection towards West Indies in the Caribbean till December at the earliest, it emerged on March 19.

CYCLING 

Cycling’s Giro d’Italia has been identified as off, with the race scheduled to begin in Hungary in May. 

The remaining two levels of the UAE Tour were cancelled right after two associates of workers on the race were suspected of acquiring the sickness. 

The Tour de France is underneath menace of cancellation, with the scheduled begin in Good getting put in just more than three months, on June 27. With British and French governments anticipating that the pandemic will final till the summer months, race organizers are studying substitute scheduling. 

The Paris-Roubaix cycling race, yet another main event on the French athletics calendar, was postponed owing to the pandemic, while the April five Tour of Flanders, only formerly cancelled for the duration of Planet War I, was also postponed in a further sign that Le Tour is underneath grave menace.

FOOTBALL 

This summer’s Euro 2020 match has been moved to following summer months (2021) subsequent a UEFA convention held on March 17. The postponement delivers a possibility for European club competitions to be done.

All football in England is suspended till at least April 30 – but the 2019-20 time should ultimately be done righ
t after the FA bend their very own guidelines to lengthen the campaign INDEFINITELY right after keeping disaster talks on March 19.

The selections to suspend follows players and workers getting to be afflicted by the virus, or persons self-isolating as a precaution right after reporting signs reliable with Covid-19.

The Premier League clash between Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal, scheduled for March 11, experienced already been postponed as a ‘precautionary measure’ right after Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest operator Evangelos Marinakis tested good for coronavirus months right after looking at his Greek crew play at the Emirates Stadium. 

On March 13, UEFA announced all Champions League and Europa League fixtures scheduled are postponed, as very well as the quarter-remaining attracts for each competitions. UEFA hope to conclude the competitions in the summer months but no dates are however set. 

Birmingham Metropolis turn out to be the initial Championship facet to see players just take momentary 50 per cent wage cuts to simplicity fiscal strain.  Leeds United quickly followed in a bid to hold spending all of their non-football workers. 

All Chinese domestic fixtures at all stages were postponed and the time pushed again, the initial football to be afflicted by the outbreak in the country of its origin. Even so, reports counsel that the league could resume on April eighteen as China receives to grip with the virus.

Asian Champions League matches involving Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG are postponed till April.

The begin of the Korean K-League time is postponed. The 4 groups in the AFC Champions League are taking part in their matches driving closed doorways.

Japan’s J-League postponed all domestic online games till the center of March, but further delays are inescapable. 

Italy, the country worst hit by the virus exterior China, suffered a spate of cancellations prior to the authorities place the populace on lockdown. All activity, such as Serie A online games, were suspended till at least April 3 to comprise the virus.

In France, it was announced on Friday 13 March that there will be no top-flight football in France for the quick foreseeable future right after their governing entire body postponed all matches.  

In Spain, April 18’s Copa del Rey remaining between between Athletic Bilbao and Actual Sociedad has been postponed. LaLiga is also postponed till the stop of March at least.

Germany’s Bundesliga, the other main European league, is also suspended till April 3 at least. 

The Dutch Eredivisie and Portugal’s Primeira Liga are also suspended.

The Football Association of Eire announced that all football underneath its jurisdiction will cease till March 29. 

Major League Soccer has been suspended for 30 days till mid-April with David Beckham’s initial Inter Miami residence match delayed.  

The South American Football Confederation postponed this year’s Copa America, owing to just take put from twelve June to twelve July, till 2021.

FIFA reported that the newly-expanded Club Planet Cup, initially scheduled to just take put in China in June 2021, will be postponed and a new day announced when ‘there is extra clarity on the situation’.

On March 13, the FA announced that all of England’s online games scheduled for the thirty day period would be postponed, such as those people of development groups. It suggests that England’s friendlies with Italy and Denmark have been identified as off.    

Euro 2020 play-off matches owing to be held on March 26, such as Scotland v Israel have been place off till June. 

Manchester United clash at Austrian facet Lask was driving closed doorways, with United handing out £350 to each individual fan to aid with journey and accommodation right after they bought 900 tickets for the Europa League match. 

Newcastle United banned their players from shaking palms with each individual other amid coronavirus fears. 

Cristiano Ronaldo went into isolation in Madeira right after it emerged that his Juventus crew-mate, Daniele Rugani, has coronavirus. Squad associates Blaise Matuidi and Paolo Dybala also tested good. 

In other places in Italy, Fiorentina striker Patrick Cutrone, who is on financial loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, tested good for coronavirus.

In Spain, 35% of Valencia’s squad workers tested good for coronavirus, with all circumstances currently being asym
ptomatic. 

Actual Madrid’s initial-crew squad were in quarantine right after a member of the basketball crew tested good for Covid-19. The two groups share the similar instruction facility.   

Liverpool have announced a charity match between a Reds Legends facet and Barcelona Legends, owing to be played at Anfield on March 28, has been postponed.

FIFA says it will postpone South American Planet Cup qualifying matches owing to just take put in March. 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested good for coronavirus on March twelve with the overall initial-crew squad currently being place into isolation. The Gunners’ match towards Brighton, scheduled for Saturday March 14, has been postponed.

In the early hrs of Friday, March 13, Chelsea announced that winger Callum Hudson-Odoi experienced been identified with the sickness.

The club’s initial crew went into self-isolation, even though two structures at their instruction ground in Cobham were closed. 

Premier League clubs, such as Manchester United and Manchester Metropolis, have despatched players residence to prepare on your own subsequent the British government’s increasing crackdown on mass gatherings and unnecessary social speak to.   

West Ham main Karren Brady identified as for the time to be null and void even though Aston Villa imagine no crew should be relegated. In this condition Liverpool, the runaway league leaders, could facial area the horror of currently being denied the title even with currently being on the brink of securing their initial league trophy in practically 30 many years.

Studies counsel football bodies across England and the rest of Europe are bracing themselves for a described overall shutdown of each league till September.

Top rated-degree English and Scottish football was in the beginning suspended till April 3 at the earliest. The Football Association, the Premier League, the English Football League, FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship all agreed to phone a halt to aggressive action with quick impact. 

All stages of English football below the Nationwide League North and South have been identified as off and voided with no promotion and relegation owing to the calendar currently being decimated by the coronavirus outbreak.  

Components ONE 

The time-opening Australian Grand Prix was identified as off right after a McLaren crew member arrived down with Covid-19, major to the British crew pulling out prior to a selection currently being created on whether or not the race would still go ahead. 

The announcement arrived hrs right after Lewis Hamilton reported it was ‘shocking’ that the race was likely ahead. 

The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on April 19 was the initial race to be postponed, with no selection more than whether or not it will be reinserted into the 2020 calendar for later in the time. 

The Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for March 20-22, is also identified as off, as is the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix, which was scheduled to just take put in Hanoi on April five. 

It was hoped that the Dutch Grand Prix on May 3 would be the initial race of the new time but that has also been postponed owing to Covid-19. 

The legendary Monaco Grand Prix on May 24 was cancelled for the initial time in sixty six many years prior to Components 1 announced their race in Azerbaijan experienced been postponed. 

GOLF 

On March 13, the Masters was postponed. In a assertion launched online, Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta Nationwide Golf Club, emphasised that the selection makers hope to keep the championship ‘at some later date’. The initial men’s main of the yr was owing to start off on April 9.

The US PGA Championship, the next main of the yr, has now joined the  Masters in currently being postponed. It had been owing to just take put at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco from May 11-17, but has been rescheduled for later this summer months.

Soon after determining to play with no spectators from the next spherical of the Players Championship onwards, the PGA Tour cancelled the event solely right after the initial spherical on March twelve. 

They also scrapped the subsequent three functions major up to the Masters, but right after that was cancelled 4 further functions in April and May – the RBC Heritage, the Zurich Common of New Orleans, the Wells Fargo Championship and the AT&T Byron Nelson – also little bit the dust. It is hoped that the time can be resumed in late May.

The European Tour have cancelled all tournaments till the preferred Made in Denmark event on May 21. Numerous of them were owing to be held in China or east Asia in nations around the world badly hit by the outbreak.

The women’s match has also been hit by postponements and cancellations, with the year’s initial main, the ANA Inspiration, the best profile casualty.

Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari were withdrawn from the Oman Open on clinical grounds right after Gagli confirmed signs of the virus. He shared a hotel place with Molinari and he was informed to self-isolate. They were later reinstated to the match right after tests destructive for the virus. 

HORSE RACING 

The Grand Nationwide was identified as off subsequent new British authorities limitations to battle the distribute of coronavirus created it extremely hard to stage the Aintree showpiece on April four. The Cheltenham Pageant went ahead amid some criticism prior to the social distancing measures were tightened. 

The Japan Racing Association revealed that ‘government-sanctioned races’ will go ahead driving closed doorways.  

Racing in Eire tried to just take put driving closed doorways starting on March 29 – but that selection was improved right after authorities cancelled all sporting functions.  

The Dubai Planet Cup conference will go ahead on March 28 ‘without paid hospitality spectators’. 

Racing Post pressured to quickly suspend publication of the flagship every day racing newspaper for the initial time considering the fact that their inception in 1986 owing to all action in British isles and Eire currently being suspended.  

RUGBY 

This year’s Six Nations will have to wait for its summary with all remaining online games postponed.

England’s match with Italy and Ireland’s journey to France experienced already been identified as off with Wales and Scotland leaving it till the working day prior to prior to contacting off their match. 

Saturday, 31 October is a attainable day for the remaining weekend of matches. 

The Women’s Six Nations has also been hit by postponements.

The RFU has suspended all stages of rugby in England till April 14, with the announcement coming soon right after the Premiership was halted for five months. 

The quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup and Problem Cup have also been postponed. People online games were scheduled for April 3, four and five.   

The RFL and rugby league’s Super League have now followed suit and postponed all fixtures for at least three months. 8 Leeds Rhinos players experienced been confirmed to be self-isolating.  

TENNIS

Wimbledon has been cancelled for the initial time considering the fact that Planet War II as All England Club chiefs identified as the match off at an crisis conference.

It was viewed as extremely hard for the match to be moved again to later in the yr, or to be played without fans, and so chiefs have pulled the plug solely.

This is the initial time that Wimbledon will not be staged considering the fact that 1945. Only just one Grand Slam has missed a yr considering the fact that the war, the 1986 Australian Open, and that was for the technological purpose of the day shifting ahead from December into January. 

The French Open, just one of the 4 Grand Slam tournaments, is postponed till September amid a wide lockdown in France.

The clay-courtroom main was scheduled for May 24 to June 7, but that has shifted to September 20 to October four, right after the US Open, which was owing to be the remaining main of the yr. 

Players have been quick to criticise the shift, which has produced a conflict with the Laver Cup men’s crew event spearheaded by Roger Federer, and a women’s match in China.

All functions on the ATP Tour have been suspended for 6 months. 

The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California, set to begin on March 9, was postponed at the eleventh hour.  It arrived right after a confirmed case of the coronavirus in the nearby Coachella Valley.

The remaining of an ATP Challenger event in Bergamo, Italy, between Enzo Couacaud and Illya Marchenko of Ukraine was cancelled. The two players received position points and prize income for having to the remaining. They were denied the chance to play driving closed doorways.

China forfeited a Davis Cup tie due to the fact the men’s crew were unable to journey to Romania for the March six-7 play-off.

WTA functions have also been cancelled. The WTA announced they are evaluating their routine with a number of functions set for China in the next 50 percent of the time.

The Worldwide Tennis Federation has announced that the Fed Cup finals have been postponed. The event was owing to be held in Budapest in April and the competition’s play-offs, which were set to just take put in eight diverse areas, have also been positioned on keep.

The WTA also announced no tournaments will be staged for at least five months.   

OTHER SPORTS 

The NBA has been suspended indefinitely right after two Utah Jazz players contracted the virus. On March 17 Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant confirmed he experienced tested good for the virus along with three unnamed crew-mates.

In an help to lower hazards of publicity to the virus, the NBA experienced informed players to steer clear of getting objects these as pens, markers, balls and jerseys from autograph seekers. 

The NHL has announced it has paused the 2019-20 time with no day confirmed for when it will resume. 

The UFC has cancelled its following three functions, even though president Dana White is still pushing ahead for the extremely-predicted lightweight title battle between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. 

MotoGP have cancelled their initial two races of the time in Qatar and Thailand. 

South Korea’s baseball league cancelled all 50 pre-time match which were slated to just take put from March 14-24. It is the initial time considering the fact that the leagues inception in 1982 that an overall set of exhibition matches are off. 

The initial-stage draw for the Desk Tennis Planet Championships, scheduled for South Korea from March 22-29, is postponed.

A beach volleyball match, owing to be held in Yangzhou from April 22-26, is postponed till right after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Planet Limited monitor speed skating championship in Seoul is cancelled.

The Planet Triathlon Sequence event in Abu Dhabi was postponed as a precautionary evaluate.  

The Women’s Planet Ice Hockey Championships in Canada have been cancelled.   

In badminton, the German Open (March 3-eight), Vietnam Open (March 24-29) and Polish Open (March 26-29), all Olympic qualifying functions, are cancelled owing to ‘strict overall health protection’. 

The Japanese skilled baseball league created the selection to play their seventy two pre-time online games driving closed doorways till March 15. Baseball is amongst the most preferred athletics in Japan.  

Doubts continue to be as the Asian weightlifting championships, scheduled for March, are relocated from Kazakhstan to neighbouring Uzbekistan. They could still be postponed.