Football should not resume until new season starts in late August, says Fifa medical chief

Fifa’s medical chief has issued concerns about rushing back to playing football following the coronavirus pandemic and believes action should return later in the year with a new season.

Michel D’Hooghe, medical committee chairman for world football’s governing body, says scrapping this season would avoid a second spike of Covid-19 cases.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport on Monday, D’Hooghe sees teams changing and showering together being a problem when we return to football, along with players spitting on the ground, which has now become an accepted part of the game.

D’Hooghe, speaking from Belgium, said: “We are all subject to decisions at national level from the public authorities. It is very simple. Football suddenly becomes not the most important thing in life. I will be very happy if we can start, in a convenient way, the next championship and have nothing before the start of next season. 

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“If they could start the season 2020/21 end of August or beginning of September I would be happy. Then they could eventually avoid a second attack from the virus, which is not impossible.  

“Everyone has to be very careful for the moment. I have heard in many countries they are thinking about playing football again, with or without the public. In my long career I have seen many situations where there has been a balance between economics and health. Mostly the economics won, whether that was about jetlag or football at altitude or in extreme conditions such as pollution situations. 

“If there is one circumstance where medical arguments should win against economical arguments, it is now. It is not a matter of money, it is a matter of life and death. It is very simple.”

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While Germany have been leading the way in getting football back being played, D’Hooghe has concerns with fans congregating to watch matches, even if they are not at the stadium.  

He added: “Concerning football I think it is very dangerous to organise it with the public because you then bring together many hundreds or thousands of people in a distance much more than 1.5 metres, which is the rule in Belgium at the moment and many countries.

“On the field you bring players together and they cannot ask them to stay away from each other for 1.5 metre. 

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“I know why they want to play with the public watching, it is for the television rights and I understand that, but also in that situation there is contact on the field between players, teams being near each other in the dressing room and in the showers. Every player having his own dressing room is impossible. I’m fairly sure there will always be groups of supporters coming together, wherever that is.

“I would ask everyone to be very careful before taking the decision to play football again and I cannot answer when that will be possible because nobody knows the evolution of the virus in the coming months.

“I’m very happy to hear from (Fifa president) Gianni Infantino say health is put before everything. I think this is only the right attitude. I support that.”