shot-button
Maharashtra Elections 2024 Maharashtra Elections 2024
Home > Sports News > Football News > Article > Southgate fears Covid 19 could wreck Englands WCup hopes

Southgate fears Covid-19 could wreck England's WCup hopes

Updated on: 10 October,2022 12:23 PM IST  |  Frankfurt
AP |

He is currently in discussions with his squad over how to approach family access and limit the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak

Southgate fears Covid-19 could wreck England's WCup hopes

Representative Image

England manager Gareth Southgate is weighing up how much access players will have with their families at the World Cup amid his fears that Covid-19 could derail the team's chances of success in Qatar. Southgate says he is also concerned about the number of players that will be available to him by the time the tournament kicks off next month due to the intense physical demands of having a midseason World Cup.


He is currently in discussions with his squad over how to approach family access and limit the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak. All teams will follow strict medical protocols to try to reduce the spread of coronavirus at the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament. England was impacted by Covid-19 at the delayed European Championship in 2021 when Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell were forced to isolate as a result of coming into contact with Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour.


Southgate is determined to avoid a repeat. 'Obviously it's quite fluid in terms of where we will be in terms of rates of infection and what that will look like. We would have a preference that families can engage, because that's better for everybody," Southgate said at the draw for Euro 2024 in Frankfurt on Sunday. "But there is that decision around how much risk do you want to take, because if you lose a player or two players, for them that may be their only opportunity to play at the World Cup, and I'm sure their families will realize that as well.


Also Read: Let’s show that Indian girls can play football: Coach Dennerby

'It is a decision that we're talking with the senior players about, and they're realizing how complicated that is.' Another concern for Southgate is the physical condition of his players, who face an intense schedule with their club teams before the tournament. Kyle Walker underwent groin surgery this week and is a major doubt. Southgate believes key players could drop out between now and Qatar.

'It's not something we can control. I've said all along that I've never bought the theory that it's better for us to be playing in the middle of the season than at the end, because we haven't had a problem with playing at the end. So I always felt that was a bit of a myth," Southgate said. 'What I see is a really packed schedule now, a lot of players playing a lot of minutes, and realistically we will lose more. I just think it's so intense and the players have had so much football.'

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!

Register for FREE
to continue reading !

This is not a paywall.
However, your registration helps us understand your preferences better and enables us to provide insightful and credible journalism for all our readers.

Mid-Day Web Stories

Mid-Day Web Stories

This website uses cookie or similar technologies, to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalised recommendations. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. OK