Neil Humphreys: Don't guilt-trip players to return
Politicians can't rely on EPL stars to rouse nations
English football has witnessed an about-turn to rival a Cruyff turn.
A month ago, a British government minister called on elite footballers to take a pay cut. Now, the government is calling on those same footballers to rouse the nation.
If English Premier League stars could not cough up the cash, maybe they can cough up their lungs to give a "much-needed boost to the national morale".
Those words belong to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has a tendency to see things through the militaristic prism of World War II.
This is a time, apparently, for the EPL's finest to go over the top, dash through the coronavirus minefield and take a bullet for their team, their country and couch potatoes keen to watch something other than Tiger King on weekends.
These guys are rich and famous because of us. Surely, they can sacrifice themselves for us as well.
And should a relative of either a West Ham United or Watford player succumb to Covid-19, he will be comforted by the knowledge that he gave his life for a relegation six-pointer between two dull teams.
Obviously, this is unacceptable. Or, in the fine words of Danny Rose, "it's b*******".
The Tottenham Hotspur fullback, currently on loan at Newcastle United, also said that he didn't "give a f*** about the nation's morale... People's lives are at risk".
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling made similar, more restrained comments, concerned that football pitches are being turned into petri dishes.
Footballers are not a scientific or social experiment to test the industry's resilience and a nation's fortitude, and not because they are cosseted footballers either.
They are people. They are people with kids, parents and partners, none of whom signed up for a testing exercise that is more Mickey Mouse than guinea pig.
Sterling's words were more diplomatic, but Rose's scathing criticism of the political and economic pressures to return was more authentic.
He sounded like a footballer, not a politician, which is an important distinction to make in such a dangerous climate.
Unlike politicians, footballers are not tasked with lifting a nation's spirits during a pandemic or dragging attention away from erratic policy-making.
NOT PRIMARY JOB
The fact that football does galvanise a society and often contributes more to nation-building than any government is a testament to its power, but that should never be the game's primary function.
Football entertains. Football inspires. Football titillates and exasperates. Football can do all of this and much more, long before it gets round to the nationalistic drum-beating on behalf of governments.
Besides, will the sport even be in the position to offer unadulterated entertainment if Project Restart is rushed along?
Honestly, how inspirational does the thought of an EPL star collecting the ball in midfield and passing Covid-19 to his parents actually sound?
Ever since British Prime Minister Harold Wilson managed to get himself photographed with England's World Cup-winning team in 1966, politicians have hoped for some sort of football alchemy to boost popularity.
(Indeed, Wilson was convinced that he lost the 1970 General Election because West Germany had dumped England out of the World Cup four days earlier.)
And Johnson needs football just as much today.
In fact, we could all use a shot of the EPL right now.
But Johnson's needs and our wants cannot come before the safety of footballers and their families, particularly when the time frame is perilously tight.
Uefa has set a deadline of May 25 for leagues to present a plan of recovery. The EPL has yet to do so. Uefa also hopes to have all domestic leagues concluded by Aug 2. The EPL has little chance of doing so.
Ironically, English clubs are being held back, to a degree, by the same power-brokers desperate for their return.
The UK government demands a national morale boost, but the mixed messaging on sporting events has hampered the EPL's decision-making process.
Meanwhile, the clubs insist on a comeback to avoid huge financial losses from broadcast contracts, but cannot reach a collective agreement on Project Restart.
And so, the players wait.
They are expected to expose themselves - and family members - to potential harm as part of a reckless quest to lift flagging spirits and improve club bank accounts. It is the cruellest of guilt-trips.
Rose and Sterling must not be the only voices of protest. Indeed, City's Sergio Aguero and Norwich City's Todd Cantwell have also spoken up.
Others must share their valid concerns. If their safety cannot be entirely guaranteed, they do not play. Simple. No regrets. No guilt.
The guilty parties will not be the players, but those who failed to protect them.
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