FRIDAY,MARCH13,2020| THEGLOBEANDMAILO CORONAVIRUS B15
The deepening virus outbreak
prompted the cancellation of
Champions League soccer for the
firsttimeThursday,withthehigh-
profile match between Manches-
ter City and Real Madrid one of
two to be postponed.
Juventus’s home match
against Lyon in the last 16 – also
scheduled for Tuesday – was
called off, too, as the coronavirus
pandemic took its toll on leagues
and cup competitions around the
world, from Spain to the Nether-
lands to the United States.
In South America, FIFA agreed
topostponethestartofqualifying
for the 2022 World Cup.
The Spanish league was
brought to halt for at least the
next two rounds, shortly after Re-
al Madrid announced its players
had been put in quarantine. That
decisionwastakenbecauseoneof
the club’s basketball players, who
share facilities with Madrid’s soc-
cer players, tested positive for the
virus.
Hours later, UEFA said the City-
Madrid game at Etihad Stadium
was postponed, with no new date
arranged by European soccer’s
governing body. City leads 2-1
from the first leg in Madrid.
At the same time, Juventus’s
matchagainstLyonwascancelled
by UEFA after it was confirmed on
Wednesday that a player from the
Italianteam,DanieleRugani,test-
ed positive for COVID-19. Lyon
leads 1-0 from the first leg.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
tested positive for the coronavi-
rus on Thursday, forcing the club
to put the entire first team in self-
isolation and for its Premier
League match against Brighton at
the weekend to be postponed.
The Premier League reacted by
saying it will hold an emergency
meeting on Friday to discuss “fu-
ture fixtures” – just hours after
saying it would be pushing ahead
with a full schedule of games and
stadiums with fans, unlike mostother major European leagues.
Rugani, who also plays for the
Italiannationalteam,wasthefirst
player in the country’s top soccer
divisiontotestpositiveforthedis-
ease. There was a second an-
nounced on Thursday – Sampdo-
ria striker Manolo Gabbiadini.
“I’ve already received so very
many messages. But I still want to
reassure you that I’m fine, so
don’t worry,” Gabbiadini, whowas in self-isolation, wrote on
Twitter.
The outbreak of the virus has
led to a nationwide lockdown in
Italy, where soccer and all other
sports have been suspended until
April 3.
It’snotknownwhentheCham-
pions League will resume. UEFA
hascalledstakeholderstoameet-
ing by video conference on Tues-
day to deal with the effect on Eu-
ropean competitions of the coro-
navirus outbreak.
“All domestic and European
competitions,” including this
year’s multicountry European
Championship, will be discussed.
The World Health Organiza-
tionlabelledCOVID-19apandem-
ic, citing its alarming spread and
severity.Ithasinfectedmorethen
125,000 people worldwide and
caused more than 4,500 deaths
since erupting in China.
For most people, the virus
causes only mild or moderate
symptoms, such as fever and
cough. For some, especially older
adults and people with existing
health problems, it can cause
more severe illness, including
pneumonia. The vast majority of
people recover.
Among the leading leagues in
Europe, England’s Premier
League is continuing to be the
outlier.
After agovernment meeting,
BritishPrimeMinisterBorisJohn-
son said sports events in the
country will be allowed to go on –
although they could potentially
be banned at a later date.
“We are guided by the science.
There is very little epidemiologi-
cal or medical reason at the mo-
ment to ban such events,” John-
son said.
It means, as it stands, Premier
League games will go ahead this
weekend along with other major
sporting events in Britain such as
Wales versus Scotland in Six Na-
tions rugby and horse racing at
the prestigious Cheltenham Fes-
tival.OnlyonePremierLeaguegame
has been affected so far amid the
outbreak, with Man City’s home
match against Arsenal on
Wednesday called off. That deci-
sion was taken after members of
Arsenal’splayingsquadwentinto
self-isolation in a precautionary
move.
On Thursday, Leicester manag-
er Brendan Rodgers said “a few”
of his players have symptoms of
coronavirus and were being kept
away from the squad. Rodgers
was speaking two days before
Leicester plays Watford.
Chelsea underwent a deep
cleanofitstraininggroundThurs-
day, meaning its players didn’t
practise two days ahead of their
Premier League game against As-
ton Villa. No Chelsea player has
shownanysymptomsofthevirus.
Elsewhere, Dutch soccer au-
thorities cancelled all matches
until the end of the month, in-
cluding friendly internationals
against the United States and
Spain, and Portugal shut down its
league until further notice. The
Belgian soccer league backped-
alled on its decision to keep stadi-
ums open to fans during the out-
break, saying the last round of
regular-seasonmatchesinthetop
league scheduled for this week-
end will be played in empty stadi-
ums.
Major League Soccer in the
United States was also shutting
down for a 30-day period because
of the virus.
In South America, FIFA agreed
to a request by all of CONCACAF’s
member federations to delay the
start of World Cup qualifying,
which had been set to begin later
this month. It did not set new
dates for the games.
Next week’s group-stage
matches of the Copa Libertadores
tournamentwerealsopostponed.
ThreeCopaLibertadoresmatches
scheduled for Thursday were set
to go ahead.THEASSOCIATEDPRESSChampionsLeaguegamespostponed
City-RealMadridand
Juventus-Lyonmatches
arecalledoffasleagues
andCupcompetitions
aroundtheworldare
affecte dbypandemic
ArsenalmanagerMikelArtetaisseenatEmiratesStadiumonMarch7.
ArtetatestedpositiveforcoronavirusonThursday,forcingtheclubto
putthefirstteaminisolationandforthePremierLeaguematchagainst
Brightontobepostponed.JOHNSIBLEY/ACTIONIMAGESVIAREUTERSSTEVEDOUGLAS
MANCHESTER,ENGLAND
North American soccer slammed
on the brakes Thursday in the
face of the growing COVID-19
outbreak.
Major League Soccer suspend-
ed its season for 30 days, joining
the NBA in downing tools.
“Our clubs were united today
in the decision to temporarily
suspend our season – based on
the advice and guidance from
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), Public
Health Agency of Canada
(PHAC), and other public health
authorities, and in the best inter-
est of our fans, players, officials
and employees,” MLS commis-
sioner Don Garber said in a state-
ment.
A host of soccer organizations
followed suit with one MLS team
executive calling the turn of
events “surreal.”
The USL Championship, the
second-tier league in the U.S., al-
so put a 30-day halt on its season.
The governing body of soccer
in North and Central America
and the Caribbean suspended
CONCACAF Champions League
play. Los Angeles FC was to have
played Mexico’s Cruz Azul on
Thursday evening.
The Major Arena Soccer
League opted to end its regular
season effective immediately.
U.S. Soccer cancelled its com-
ing men’s and women’s senior
matches in March and April.
The Mexican national team
cancelled matches against the
Czech Republic in Charlotte, N.C.,
on March 26 and Greece in Ar-
lington, Tex., on March 29.
The Canadian Soccer Associ-
ation postponed naming its
team for the CONCACAF Men’s
Olympic Qualifying Champion-
ship, set to begin play March 20
in Guadalajara, Mexico. CONCA-
CAF said it was reviewing other
coming competitions and would
make a further public statement
“in due course.”
The Canadian Premier League
is continuing its preseason prep-
arations, saying it is communi-
cating with its clubs “regarding
the appropriate measures to take
as the situation continues to
evolve.”
“It is important to note that
the CPL’s season does not start
until April 11 and we are not play-
ing in public venues at this
time,” the league said in a state-
ment.
The Canadian men’s team,
looking to collect valuable FIFA
ranking points in its bid for the
most direct route in CONCACAF
World Cup qualifying, is slated to
play host to Trinidad and Tobago
on March 27 and 31 in Langford,
B.C.
“We’re reviewing it really on
an hourly basis every day,” said
Peter Montopoli, general secreta-
ry of the Canadian Soccer Associ-
ation. “We’re reviewing it with
the local authorities. ... We con-
tinually monitor it to make sure
that the health and safety of our
players and spectators are the
No. 1 concern.”
While the March games are in
a FIFA international window, it
seems unlikely they will go
ahead with MLS on hiatus and
clubs in Europe, where matches
have been held in empty stadi-
ums or postponed, likely un-
willing to send players around
the globe given current condi-
tions.
MLS is in its third week of the
season and has some leeway – at
least on the calendar – having
moved up the back end of the
schedule in recent years.
Toronto FC players arrived at
BMO Field for training Thursday,
only to be told the session was
cancelled and they should go
home. The team, which was to
play host to expansion Nashville
SC on Saturday, did not make
anyone available.
“Stay safe everyone,” star
striker Jozy Altidore tweeted.
TFC is owned by Maple Leafs
Sports & Entertainment, which
also owns the NBA Raptors and
NHL Leafs. The soccer club has
its own training centre in north
Toronto.The Whitecaps, who were to
play host to Colorado on Satur-
day, also cancelled practice.
The Impact were on the field
training before word broke that
the CONCACAF Champions
League also has been suspended.
Montreal was slated to travel
Sunday to Honduras for its quar-
ter-final against C.D. Olimpia on
Tuesday.
“The safety of our players,
staff and fans is our primary con-
cern,” Toronto FC president Bill
Manning said in a statement.
“We completely support the
league’s decision.”
There was no immediate word
on what the players will do for
the month.
The MLS Players Association
said it “fully supports” the deci-
sion to suspend the season.
“We’re all one MLS family and
ask that everyone please take the
precautionary measures neces-
sary to keep themselves and
each other safe,” it said in a state-
ment.
U.S. Soccer also cancelled
most of its youth and senior
camps planned through the end
of April.
“We have been in communi-
cation with the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, as
well as state and local depart-
ments of public health, and after
those conversations and contin-
uously monitoring the situation,
we strongly believe this is the
best decision considering the on-
going worldwide health situa-
tion,” U.S. Soccer chief medical
officer George Chiampas said in a
statement.THE CANADIAN PRESSNorthAmericansocceronhold
asMLS,USLandmoresuspendplay
NEILDAVIDSONTORONTO
JozyAltidoreofTorontoFCtakesashotunderpressurefromJames
SandsofNewYorkCityFCatBMOFieldonSaturday.MLShassince
suspendeditsseasonfor30days.VAUGHNRIDLEY/GETTYIMAGESFansscatteredaroundtheninthgreensawHidekiMatsuyama
roll in a 25-foot eagle putt to tie the course record at the TPC
Sawgrass and take the lead in The Players Championship.
And after Thursday, that’s all they’ll see.
Even with the best in the world competing for the richest
purse in golf, The Players Championship felt like an after-
thought amid rapid developments with the new coronavirus
that led sports around the world to stop playing.
Golf goes on – but without fans.
The PGA Tour said it was banning spectators at all tourna-
mentsforatleastthenextmonth.ThepolicystartsFriday,the
firsttimeoneofthebesttheatresingolfwillbevirtuallyemp-
ty.
Meanwhile,theLPGATourhaspostponedgolf’sfirstmajor
championship of the season and two other events because of
the coronavirus. The tour called off the Volvik Founders Cup
in Phoenix from March 19 to 22, the Kia Classic in Carlsbad,
Calif., from March 26 to 29 and the major ANA Inspiration in
RanchoMirage,Calif.,fromApril2to5.Earlier,thetourcalled
off events in Thailand, Singapore and China.
“I’ve never played a tour event like we’re going to play to-
morrowwithnofans,”PhilMickelsonsaidThursdayaftera75
thatlefthimindangerofmissinganothercut.“Itwillbeavery
weird experience, and I feel bad for the people here that have
supportedthistournamentforsomanydecadestonotbeable
to come on out.”
The crowd was thinner than usual, even by Thursday
morning standards. Players were alerted late Wednesday to
prepare to play, even as the NBA announced it was suspend-
ing its season and other sports leagues followed.
Before long, the tour decided to keep fans away.
That wasn’t enough for C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who withdrew
beforehisafternoonteetimebecausehewantedtoreducethe
riskofexposuretothevirus.PansaidonTwitter:“Ourlifestyle
is like a circus, travelling from one place to another. We be-
lieve this is a time to exercise caution by not playing this
week.”
Matsuyama opened with four straight birdies and closed
with a 3-wood into 25 feet for eagle and a nine-under 63, the
ninth player to share the record at Sawgrass. He had a two-
shotleadoverHarrisEnglishandChristiaanBezuidenhoutof
South Africa. For much of the day, they were just names and
numbers on the scoreboard.
Jordan Spieth, who shot 75 as his struggles showed few
signsofimproving,wasn’tawareofthedecisionwhenheteed
off. He first caught wind during an exchange with a fan that
made him pause. “Guys were saying, ‘We’re going to miss you
guys this weekend’ during the middle of the round,” Spieth
said. “We thought that was kind of rude, meaning we’re not
goingtobeherethisweekend.ThenIrealizedwhenIwastold
that they said there’s no spectators the rest of the week.”
Fans who made it into the tournament Thursday were told
no autographs were allowed. They weren’t asked to leave
whenthetourdecidedtobanspectators,andpeoplewerestill
coming into the course in the afternoon.
Commissioner Jay Monahan said the tour received infor-
mation that the virus was not yet a major threat in the area –
his two daughters were in school, theatres and businesses re-
mained open – but acknowledged the situation was fluid.
Why not just shut down golf entirely?
Hesaidgolfwasdifferentbecauseitwasanoutdoorsevent
over a sprawling piece of property and said that golf was a
non-contact sport.
“We feel that this is a safe environment in which to contin-
ue to move forward ... with limited personnel on site, and
we’re comfortable that this is the right path forward,” Mona-
hansaid.“Butthatissomethingthatwe’llcontinuetoconsid-
er as we go forward.”THEASSOCIATEDPRESSPGATourtocarryon
–withoutspectators
DOUGFERGUSONPONTEVEDRABEACH,FLA.