Boxing Day fixtures allowed but sporting future remains uncertain

The cabinet has spent recent days debating whether more rules were needed to combat coronavirus. Those could have impacted football crowds and still could next week.

The Welsh Assembly has ruled its sporting events must take place behind closed doors from Boxing Day, whilst Scotland will limit crowds to 500. The Welsh restrictions are initially expected to apply until January 7. The next Yorkshire team to travel there for league football is Harrogate Town, due at Newport County on the 15th.

Boris Johnson, though, has held off for now.

“The situation remains extremely difficult but I also recognise that people have been waiting to hear whether their Christmas plans are going to be affected,” he said yesterday.

“Naturally we can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas but we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas.”

Even given how vague a term “after Christmas” is, it would seem impractical to communicate and enforce restrictions in time for the Boxing Day fixtures. Leeds United are at Liverpool for a game which kicks off at 12.30pm.

Both the Premier League and Football League decided this week to play Festive fixtures where possible, but only after a welter of postponements.

Barnsley’s Championship game at home to Stoke City and Bradford City’s League Two match against Harrogate Town have been called off because of Covid-19 within the Stoke and Bradford squads. FC Halifax Town’s game at Grimsby Town has also been postponed.

Sheffield Wednesday postponed last Saturday’s match at home to Accrington Stanley because of infections, so decisions will have to be made soon on whether they will have enough players available on Boxing Day. The same applies to Sheffield United’s prospective hosts Preston North End.

Doncaster Rovers, who also had to postpone, are due to host Sunderland in a televised game on December 27 which could be their next manager or head coach’s first. The League One club began interviews with five candidates on Monday. They aim to have interviewed three a second time and have made a decision by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, it has been reported the Football Association will not provide Football League and non-league clubs with free testing ahead of next month’s FA Cup third round. Last season the governing body paid for sides outside the top division to undergo PCR testing, but this year cheaper and less accurate lateral flow tests will suffice.

The issue of Premier League clubs facing teams held to a lower standard of testing arose in last season’s League Cup when Hull City were one of a number of sides to decline the offer of free testing from Premier League opponents.

Premier League clubs are required to undergo twice-weekly PCR tests on top of daily lateral flow tests. Football League clubs are “expected to implement a daily screening programme of testing, subject to supply chain availability of lateral flow tests.”