Manchester United Legend Wayne Rooney Slams English Football Association, Says ‘We Were Treated As Guinea Pigs’
Writing in his column in the Sunday Times, Wayne Rooney, who currently plays for Derby County, expressed his views about the coronavirus outbreak and also why it took so long for the English FA to come to an inevitable decision. ‘The rest of sport - tennis, Formula 1, rugby, golf, football in other countries - was closing down and we were being told to carry on.’
Premier League on Friday announced that the remainder of the season will be suspended at least until April 3, 2020, due to the coronavirus threat. But many renowned pundits and players have slammed the league's casual approach towards the pandemic and not reacting early enough. The decision to bring football in England to a halt was taken after Mikel Arteta and Callum Hudson-Odoi were tested positive for the virus. Former Manchester United player Wayne Rooney has criticized the English FA and the league for showing lack of leadership amid the crisis. Coronavirus Scare: List of Sporting Events Suspended or Cancelled Due to COVID-19.
Writing in his column in the Sunday Times, Wayne Rooney, who currently plays for Derby County, expressed his views about the coronavirus outbreak and also why it took so long for the English FA to come to an inevitable decision. ‘The rest of sport - tennis, Formula 1, rugby, golf, football in other countries - was closing down and we were being told to carry on.’ the former United man said. Cristiano Ronaldo-Owned Lisbon Hotel Denies Claims That Juventus Footballer Will Convert CR7 Hotels Into Hospitals to Treat Coronavirus Affected Patients.
‘I think a lot of footballers were wondering, 'Is it something to do with money being involved in this?'. Why did we wait until Friday? Why did it take Mikel Arteta to get ill for the game in England to do the right thing?’ he added. Rooney also said that he believed that football players in England were treated like guinea pigs. ‘After the emergency meeting, at last the right decision was made - until then it almost felt like footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs.’ Rooney wrote.
Earlier in the week, another former Manchester United player, Gary Neville slammed the Premier League over their delay in suspending the competition as he took to social media to express his views. ‘It needed a PL manager to contract the virus for them to act! Embarrassing leadership from the @premierleague.’ The 45-year-old wrote.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 16, 2020 04:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).