The world has come to a halt in almost all aspects of human life due to the infectious COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, that also includes one of the most enjoyable luxuries we have, and that’s the luxury of sports and specifically, soccer. As timelines get pushed back and leagues around the world struggle to look for an answer, here’s an outlook on what is currently going on, some ideas about starting back up and what it could look like once it does:
Matches are still being played! FYI, if you are really jonesing for a match, some leagues are still being played. The Belarusian Premier League is continuing with its current season amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The matches are currently being played without fans in stadiums and no players or staff are yet to be infected. With the current successful plans in place, it sounds like other leagues can take some notes on how to prepare and safely start-up play again.
The successful season, so far, of the Belarusian Premier League, begs the question: When will our favorite leagues and teams begin to play again? (No offense to any fans of the Belarusian Premier League.) That entirely depends on the severity of the virus country by country. On the bright side, many leagues have actually set a possible return date as early as the first week of May (Bundesliga, Serie A). Of course, this is provided that all personnel, staff, and players are tested and safe and most games are held behind closed doors or even on practice facilities.
The thought of soccer coming back in the United States is a much different idea. Because the U.S. is the country that is now suffering the most from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a grimmer outlook on how quickly and safely the season will resume. Recently, the league pushed back the resume date to June 8th, but what exactly is the best choice for MLS at this point? All things MLS will be looked at in a post later this week, so please stay tuned.
It’s clear that the world wants and needs sports to return. People need their spirits lifted in a time where things seem to be falling apart. If that means watching on TV instead of being in the seats of stadiums, so be it. It will only make actually being in the stadium, around the fans of the game and my team that much more exciting. Stay home, stay safe, and look forward to a time when sports will return because it will be soon.
Until next time,
Upper90
