Darby Jean #102 | The truth behind cancelled games.

An empty Turf Moor Stadium (Ben Hoskins/Getty)

Earlier today (Monday) there existed the possibility that the mess of contagion known as the Premier League was going to grind to a halt. With six of last week’s ten games called off as clubs tried to manage outbreaks, a short pause that would allow everyone to gather themselves seemed in the offing.

The fact that so many games were Joao Cancelo’d suggested that personnel at many clubs are pretty handsomely fucked, or expect to be as the holiday period wears on.

But then, later on Monday came an important meeting. What to do with all of this wealth? 

(Nope, different meeting.)

But then, later on Monday came an important meeting. What to do about all of these fixtures?

(There.)

Alas, shareholders for the league’s 20 clubs agreed that games should continue as scheduled “where possible,” notwithstanding any measures put in place by the UK government.

The rules on how and when games must be played are murky. As best I can understand, a team that can dress 14 or more eligible players for a given fixture must play that fixture. The pool of eligible players seems to include reserve players (U-21s and U-23s) with “suitable experience,” which probably means a certain number of minutes played in league or cup competitions (though maybe not, because why can't we just call this a loophole?).

It’s safe to say that “where possible” more realistically means “when we fucking tell you to.” I’m not a doctor, and it seems that there aren’t many in the Premier League either, because only 77% of its players have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccination. That’s an astonishingly low number for a league with a player geography footprint of the Premiership, and mostly unacceptable when compared with, well, anything: the Italian top flight’s 98% record, for example.

One need only look to the NBA to see where this is headed. So desperate is that league to persist with its own famous slate of holiday games, it’s letting teams sign one replacement player for each roster player that tests positive for Covid-19 until Jan 19. I’m not sure that a more egregious safety net for selfish, entitled assholes exists, but leave it to basketball.

And football.

I understand that you can’t legislate anyone to take a vaccine (unless you live in Austria), but allowing things to continue as they stand bodes poorly for the Premiere League's festive period into January and beyond, where fixtures including cups Carabao, FA and African Nations will stack up quickly. This is a tricky, dispiriting time. It makes you wonder what’s in store for World Cup qualifying, and the tournament itself, which is a mere 12 months away.

There’s plenty wool left on this unravelling sweater, but still, shouldn't someone be taking this seriously? Here’s hoping they can be identified and asked to get at least some of this right.