The Coronavirus is currently impacting the world in ways which nobody would’ve even imagined four weeks ago. The Pandemic has caused chaos upon the Sporting world and is changing lives forever.
Football fans alike were shocked when the Premier league announced the suspension of the league until April the 30th. Extreme measures were taken as the spread of the virus began to worsen with Callum Hudson Odoi and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta testing positive for the virus. Training for all clubs has been suspended with players in the Premier League being given strict dietary and training programmes to follow while they are isolating.
Jack Grealish on the other hand, has hit hit the headlines as of late. The Aston Villa captain has reportedly been involved in an incident which involved a white Range Rover crashing into some parked cars. Grealish was pictured at the scene, as West Midlands police said they were called to Dickens Heath in Solihull just before 10 am on Sunday Morning.
Since then Grealish has posted a video on his social media stating how embarrassed he is and how he will now be following government orders to stay home. It is a careless act from Grealish who is considered a role model to many people. Aston Villa are yet to comment and rumours about a potential move in the summer are refusing to go away.
Jack had filmed himself urging everyone to stay at home and to “Only leave your house to buy food, buy medicine or for exercise and always remember to stay at least two metres apart. This is urgent. Protect the NHS. Stay home. Save lives.”
His actions have placed him firmly in the firing line as Harry Redknapp has had his say on the matter. Redknapp said “I have been his biggest fan.“If I was a manager of the big teams I would buy him up. But this is no excuse. This is absolutely stupid. I can’t believe what he has done, he needs to be punished for sure.”
In a complete contrast Marcus Rashford has been in the headlines, the Man United forward has been doing his bit to help combat the chaos that this pandemic is leaving behind. Rashford, has been working with Fareshare UK and has helped raise £100,000. Fareshare UK are the largest charity fighting hunger and food waste.
“I remember when I was at school I was on free meals and my mum wouldn’t get home until around six o’clock so my next meal would have been about eight o’clock. I was fortunate, and there are kids in much more difficult situations that don’t get their meals at homes.” This was during an interview Marcus did with BBC Breakfast
As well as this he spoke about how he wanted to have a positive impact on the generation and that helping children is something he wants to prioritise in the years to come.
“It is very important, it is at the top of my to-do list. In our generation there have been a lot of positive and negative influences. I am just trying to impact the next generation in a positive way.”
The £100,000 that Marcus has helped raise, accumulates to around 400,000 meals, the reason why this is vital is because the schools are all shut. This is due to the Coronavirus and young children may struggle for regular meals. Marcus Rashford is setting an example to all of those that look up to the young Manchester United forward.
Rashford has been very active on Twitter and is interacting with fans on the social media platform by replying to questions and sharing challenges that he has set himself.
There are a small minority of footballers who aren’t sticking to the lockdown rules and are disobeying government orders so it’s great to see that there are footballers who are using their platform to spread goodwill during times that are as tough as these. Keep up the great work Marcus!
Alex Lovell
nonleaguefootballsouthern.sport.blog 