FA Postpone professional football (Updated)
Below is a statement from the FA.
“The FA, Premier League, EFL and FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England until Friday 3 April at the earliest.
This action, which will be kept under constant review, has been taken due to the increasing numbers of clubs taking steps to isolate their players and staff because of the Covid-19 virus.
It will also apply to all England team fixtures at every level and all FA competitions including the Emirates FA Cup and the Women’s FA Cup, along with academy and youth-team matches.
The decision is being made purely on the number of cases requiring self-isolation and the impact on facilities. Given the steps being taken across clubs, there is no alternative but for today’s action. However, all parties are committed at this time to trying to complete this season’s domestic fixture programme and are liaising to establish appropriate options to do so.
We are liaising with the National League pyramids (men’s and women’s) and will continue to offer guidance and support. Any decision to continue playing or to postpone their respective competitions is a matter for each league as autonomous bodies within the game.
With respect to the senior men’s fixtures against Italy and Denmark at Wembley Stadium, refunds will be processed to all ticket buyers within 14 working days.
Monies will be returned to the card used to make the original booking. The refund process for England’s MU21 and MU20 home fixtures is still to be confirmed.
UEFA had already confirmed that all Elite Round qualifiers across U17 and U19 age groups had been postponed. Europe’s governing body will meet on Tuesday to discuss further implications for international football including national-team and club competitions.
We will continue to monitor all Government advice with the situation under constant review, with the priority being the health and well-being of all. Further updates will follow in due course.”
Update 1
Following today’s joint announcement with the Premier League and EFL regarding the suspension of professional football in England, we have issued a further update.
We are fully aware that there are questions about whether grassroots football in England should be played because of the Covid-19 virus. Consistent with Government advice, we are recommending that grassroots football is able to continue as usual for now, with each league or centre making its own individual decision based on its local situation and the availability of players and officials.
However, we would fully respect and support any leagues, centres or teams that wish to postpone fixtures in light of the Covid-19 virus.
The decision to postpone all professional football in England has been taken with the integrity of the competitions in mind, considering the availability of players, staff and facilities. We will continue to monitor all Government advice and keep the situation under constant review, with the priority being the health and wellbeing of all. Further updates will follow as needed.
Coronavirus Update 2 – Click here to download
National League System – Coronavirus Update 2 13.3.20-1