I turned the TV on this morning, and flicked through the SKY sports channels until I came across the Australian Rugby that was on live. I think it was their comeback week.
A few observations -
1. In the changing rooms, before the game, all the squad were hugging each other, clasping hands etc to wish one another luck. Compare that to the scrutiny that the players in the German leagues were put under when 'celebrating' goals.
2. The players sat in the changing rooms beside each other. (On their own chairs, but not 2 metres apart)
3. The players used the same ball, and obviously had to catch/handle it. And it wasn't sprayed with disinfected between each pass!
4. It was played behind closed doors, but there did appear to be crowd noise. And it appeared to be relevant crowd noise (eg attacking/scoring etc) I didn't watch long, but there seemed to be a decent atmosphere.
I appreciate that Australia and NZ have been more successful in their combat of the virus. But it almost appears that the public/press want to remove any enjoyment/normality from the return of football. Of course, footballers are easy targets, but can you imagine the furore if Liverpool scored a goal, hugged each other, in the game we won the league?
The headlines (and probably front page) would be all about players disrespecting the dead etc.
I honestly think that more needs to be highlighted about how sports etc are returning in different countries, otherwise we are going to return to a sterile environment, where possibly smiling when you score might result in a yellow card! 😂
