Phil SumblerAs it seems likely that QPR’s Covid outbreak will mean no football for Swansea this weekend, Rangers boss Mark Warbuton believes that mandatory vaccinations for players could soon become a thing within the game.
Warburton was speaking out yesterday with his team’s game against Sheffield United already called off and “serious doubt” was placed on the visit of the Swans this weekend with the new Omicron variant spreading rapidly across the country. Increased cases within football clubs have already seen Spurs forced to cancel fixtures and another Premier League tie between Manchester United and Brentford this week postponed..
Football will be as keen to avoid another lockdown as any other industry and Warburton admitted that he did not understand the unvaccinated status of some players and believes that the Premier League and the EFL will take a stronger stance against players who are not jabbed if matches continue to get called off.
“The subject in life now will be the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated,” Warburton said.
“That will be the big situation. Football of course has people in both camps.
“But I think now you will see even more stringent aspects apply to the unvaccinated staff members and players and how they travel will be put down by the authorities.
“We have to take care of every single aspect going forward.”
QPR said yesterday that they had unvaccinated players in their camp and that hadn’t helped the cause as far as this week’s games were concerned and Warburton admitted that whilst he didn’t understand players taking this stance it was their own choice. Or at least it was for now if they wanted to continue playing.
“I don’t understand the reticence and hesitation in this area. But that is opinion, democracy and having your own thoughts,” he added.
“But I do think we are getting nearer the time when the word mandatory will be used more and more.
“I don’t know when that will be, but we are nearing that point where certain things become mandatory and that will make things very interesting, that’s for sure.”
Warburton knows that clubs can have as many strict protocols in and around the clubs as possible but infections are being picked up outside of clubs and little can be done to prevent that “They are human beings. You go out in London and it it’s absolutely heaving.
“That is part and parcel of it and it is very hard to offer consistent protocols.
“As a club you do one or two things above and beyond, and we do as much as we can.”
A decision is expected by Wednesday as to the position officially of Saturday’s game but privately both clubs have accepted that a postponement is almost certain with attention for both turning to their Boxing Day fixtures.
