From basketball to European football, there is a lot of going on in the sports world. Authorities are also putting safety measures in place to forestall any health crisis. Here is a look at some of the top sports news stories.
IFAB to Allows Five Substitute till 2021
Five substitutes will be allowed next season, football lawmakers have announced following a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB). However, each competition will be free to decide whether they want to use the additional substitutes next season.
The measure, designed to help manage player workloads in seasons affected by the coronavirus pandemic, initially covered competitions finishing in 2020.
A statement from IFAB said: “Following the decision taken on 8 May 2020 to give competitions scheduled to be completed in 2020 the option of allowing teams to use up to five substitutes, the IFAB Board of Directors had agreed to review whether to extend this option further.
“On the basis of this in-depth review based on stakeholder feedback and analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on competition calendars, the IFAB Board of Directors has approved to extend the option to competitions scheduled to be completed by 31 July 2021 and international competitions scheduled in July/August 2021.
Arsenal Defeats Liverpool in Thrilling EPL Game
Liverpool’s hopes of setting a new Premier League points record ended as they suffered only their third defeat of a stellar campaign at Arsenal. The Kop who will receive the trophy after the game with Chelsea at Anfield next week – needed to win all of their remaining games to eclipse the tally of 100 points set by then champions Manchester City two seasons ago.
And they looked on course when Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a fully deserved lead after 20 minutes as he slid home Andrew Robertson’s cross. Arsenal were then allowed back into the game before the interval after uncharacteristic errors by two of Liverpool’s most reliable performers, Alexandre Lacazette taking advantage of a dreadful back-pass by Virgil van Dijk to equalise before goalkeeper Alisson’s poor clearance gave Reiss Nelson the opportunity to score with a composed finish.
The second half was almost an exercise in attack against defence as Liverpool laid siege to Arsenal’s goal but Mikel Arteta’s side showed real resilience and determination to close out the win and receive a real morale boost before this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley.
Golf to Go On Without Spectators
The PGA Tour has confirmed that all events for the remainder of the 2019-20 season will be played without spectators due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Tournament golf resumed after a 91-day shutdown at the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 11, with the first five events since the restart taking place behind closed doors.
Plans to allow spectators at The Memorial were abandoned earlier this month, while the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and the PGA Championship – the opening major of 2020 – have also stated in recent weeks that they would have to be held without crowds.
“As we have said from the start, our No. 1 priority remains the health and safety of everyone in the communities where we are invited guests each week,” said PGA Tour Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer Andy Pazder.
Risk Your Life or Forfeit your Paycheque
US basketball star Elena Delle Donne says she must decide whether to “risk her life” or lose her wages after she was denied the opportunity to opt out of the upcoming season. The 30-year-old told BBC Sport that she applied to the WNBA to opt out of the upcoming season on medical grounds as she suffers from chronic Lyme Disease. She was named the WNBA’s most valuable player last season as her Washington Mystics side won the season finals. “The decision hurts a lot,” she said.
Lyme disease is not included on the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) list of underlying conditions that could put someone at an increased risk for severe illness from coronavirus. But Delle Donne said that she would be at a high risk of serious illness if she contracted the virus.
She applied to the league under the WNBA player medical evaluation protocol but a panel of three doctors denied her request.
“For me my body does not handle viruses like an average healthy body so when Covid came around and this whole situation happened with the WNBA in no way did I think they would deem me not high risk,” she said. “I’m now left with two choices: I can either risk my life or forfeit my paycheck,” Delle Donne wrote in an article for the Players Tribute. “Honestly? That hurts.
“I don’t have NBA player money. I don’t have the desire to go to war with the league on this. And I can’t appeal.”