Players without a vaccination won’t be able to play in the EPL after away games in the Champions League – UK authorities

Footballers of EPL clubs who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus could face restrictions on their participation in domestic football matches.

Unvaccinated professional athletes are now entitled to opt out of a 10-day quarantine when returning from other countries. For others flying into the UK, quarantine is compulsory. The British minister for digitalisation, culture, media and sport, Nadine Dorries, is campaigning for this exception for athletes to be canceled.

If this happens, Premier League`s sides will not be able to use unvaccinated players after UEFA away games: i.e. Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

According to a major English publication, a government source familiar with the discussions on the issue said: 

“If you want special treatment, you have to take care of the health and safety of those around you. Vaccination is not only about taking care of yourself but also about others.”

The English Premier League’s governing body knew that such changes could be made. League bosses are expected to resist the proposed initiative, pointing out that players’ refusal to vaccinate does not pose a serious threat to those around them, as players regularly undergo tests for the coronavirus – sometimes daily. Moreover, the individual should be left with the choice of whether to vaccinate or not.

Right now, the discussions on the issue are at an early stage only. The final decision will be made by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and no timeframe is known.

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And this is how another top PL coach, Jurgen Klopp, put it:

“I won’t apologise for the view I hold on the vaccination, no matter how unpopular it might make me…  It’s never a case of ‘listen to me’ – it’s always ‘listen to those who know. Ignore those who pretend to know. Ignore lies and misinformation. Listen to people who know best. If you do that, you end up wanting the vaccine and the booster. The ‘stick to football’ abuse misses the point. My view on covid isn’t from my imagination. I listen to experts. People who are smarter have come to the rescue by creating this”

It has recently been revealed that Manchester City’s head coach Pep Guardiola has contracted the coronavirus before the FA Cup encounter. In addition, according to the team’s press service, his assistant Juanma Lillo has also tested positive. A total of 21 people at the club have already been infected, including seven players from the main team.

“Cases are rising all around the world, not only in the UK, and in the football bubbles. People in stadiums can contaminate and then, in the stadiums, people don’t use masks.It’s what I’m surprised about the most, you go to big malls, you go in places to buy presents for the family, no-one wears a mask. The scientists said from the beginning the most protection you can have is hand sanitiser and this (mask).”

Spaniard reflected in December, when the suspension of the Premiership was under discussion.

“We should start again – vaccinated, booster, as part of that, hand sanitiser, social distance and masks. It’s the best way we can protect. This way, the restaurants could still be open, football could go on. I want to trust the people who say ‘This is safest, take a vaccine’. People don’t die when they take a vaccine, people can die if they don’t take a vaccine. We have to try to do it, otherwise, you know, another barrier may be coming. It will be again and again.”

• Guardiola, reportedly, walked into a local vaccination centre to get his booster jab last month. His mother died of Covid aged 82 last year.
• The league has confirmed that 92% of players and staff at PL clubs have received one, two or three doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Meanwhile, 84% of players have received at least one dose of the vaccine.