Let me clarify, I don’t want to see any companies go out of business, you have to be quite a bitter person to wish that on anyone. So, if there is a way to save anyone from losing money, of course we should be as flexible as possible to help. What you can’t do is prioritise that ahead of the safety of people.
That’s essentially what the Premier League is asking the government to do, writing a letter asking them to reconsider plans to delay fans being allowed back into stadiums after October 1st.
R rate estimates – how many people the virus effects have risen above one, is now doubling every 7-8 days.
Because of this, where sports were being given licence to run pilot events, a cap has now been put on of just 1000 people while they review original plans of 25 percent of crowds being back in venues by the end of the year. Football (and other events) are arguing that 1000 is counterproductive as it’s too low to test/evaluate measures to guarantee the welfare of spectators.
You can understand the frustration of any owner. It’s estimated that the Premiership would lose 547 million even if they got their wish of grounds being allowed to be 1/4 capacity till the end of the season.
Imagine being told that is now being reviewed yet you then see thousands flock to a beach. Yet just because rules are being ignored elsewhere doesn’t give you a free pass to do the same. If anything, it’s certain behaviour from the public that might have given MP’s doubts if next month is too soon to be putting thousands of individuals in one space.
Yes, in theory filling a 60,000 Emirates with only 15,000 Gooners is simple to social distance, yet history shows you can’t trust idiots.
I don’t want to make this political but the reason the UK is in danger of a second lockdown is not understanding there are a lot of selfish people out there.
Do you remember how it was suggested that everyone play at neutral grounds to avoid gatherings outside?
Remember how parliament were accused of snobbery for assuming the likes of Liverpool fans wouldn’t follow advice to stay at home?
What happened?
Not just did they ignore pleas from their own council and club (who still filmed the scenes) by celebrating in the city, they decided to set off fireworks at buildings.
Go to your local shop, how many actually respect the arrows that insist on a one-way system?
I went on the bus the other day and there are passengers who don’t respect the simple requirement of leaving every other aisle empty because they can’t be bothered to walk up a step.
There are those who refuse to wear a mask because it somehow challenges their freedom and rights.
So no, I don’t trust everyone to go to a Football game and follow every protocol.
Don’t get me wrong, the majority you can rely on to be sensible, but it takes just one imbecile and that’s one too many.
That’s the moral dilemma, if one person gets ill, that’s one person too many because no one should be going to watch a football game and coming back with a virus.
One person becoming poorly is not worth millionaires saving money. If it’s not safe it’s not safe. It’s no different to airlines. Holiday packages were cancelled because the figures showed the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. You don’t put people in jeopardy just to help the Tourist economy.
Do I feel sorry for the likes of Stan Kroenke, not knowing when he will get his matchday revenue? I feel sorrier for those who couldn’t go to a loved one’s funeral. That’s a real sacrifice.
Do I believe my wellbeing is a priority to Arsenal? Or do they just want my money? This has always been the case, but Covid has made it so apparent, it’s hard to ignore.
I wrote during the 3-month break that how Football could lose a section of it’s fanbase if they were not more sensitive in how they dealt with this pandemic.
In an era where you can watch the majority of games from the comfort of your TV, I feel less inclined to rush back to the Emirates due to my club’s attitude.
They saw it as an opportunity to save money. An excuse to hide behind to hide their lack of ambition.
A billionaire asking players to take a pay cut (Arsenal were the only top flight club to do that) to apparently stop staff redundancies. Then lying by sacking 55 people to save 2 million yet able to offer Aubameyang 250,000 pound a week.
Lying, saying it was so we could invest in the squad yet only spending 23 million, the majority of which he’s about to recoup by selling Martinez.
A Billionaire whose wealth increased by 323 million this year.
That stinks.
Were gooners who lost their jobs thought of when they were being charged 60 pounds for a shirt?
Personally, Arsenal didn’t correspond with me in any way about my membership, just taking out my yearly direct debit and not informing me what I’m paying for, seeing as I have access to tickets I can’t buy. As I write this, I still don’t know what happens to the money I just paid if fans are banned in 2021.
So, If clubs want Fans to come rushing back to spend money, show us that we matter. Writing to the government asking them to ignore the rise in the virus isn’t a good start.
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Dan Smith
