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With leagues around Europe either suspending play or moving it behind closed doors, and reliable reports that England is set to follow suit with a plan for keeping the fans at home for domestic matches, the last big question was European competition.
Unsurprisingly, we didn’t have to wait long, with reports today claiming a suspension of the Champions League and Europa League has been agreed. However, for public consumption, for now at least, UEFA appear to be delaying making anything official.
When pressed, UEFA told journalists that tonight’s Europa League Round of 16 first leg ties remain on, and European football’s governing body has released a statement saying that stakeholders will meet on Tuesday to discuss a response to coronavirus.
Meanwhile in Spain, La Liga has now suspended football for two weeks, and all Real Madrid players and staff have moved to isolate themselves and have begun to be tested after player from the club’s basketball team tested positive for COVID-19.
There have also been reports that today all Premier League players are being tested for the virus after three players at an unnamed club tested positive. The results are likely to imapct the next steps taken by the league and all clubs in England.
As of now, none of this news directly impacts Liverpool, but in a rapidly changing news environment it is increasingly difficult to imagine a world in which the Premier League season somehow continues as planned in the coming weeks.