Dean Smith questions Covid Premier League guidance after depleted Norwich City lose to Aston Villa
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Published 15/12/2021 at 09:49 GMT
"We played Tottenham, they had an outbreak. We played Manchester United, they had an outbreak. We wanted guidance over would it be fair on Villa if we had symptomatic players around us?" Dean Smith has questioned what 'magic number' of positive Covid cases a club needs for a Premier League game to be postponed.
Smith sacked by Aston Villa after five straight Premier League defeats
Dean Smith has questioned the Premier League's Covid guidance after his depleted side lost 2-0 to Aston Villa on Tuesday.
With 42 cases recorded across the Premier league last week, the division is suffering its biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic.
Manchester United's match against Brentford was called off due to Covid outbreaks at the club, while Tottenham's game against Brighton was also postponed last week.
But Smith, who has lost players to both Covid and injuries in recent week, has wondered what the 'magic number' is for a game to get postponed.
"Our sporting director (Stuart Webber) spoke to the Premier League on guidance when we have symptomatic players around us," Smith explained after the defeat to Aston Villa.
"We played Tottenham, they had an outbreak. We played Manchester United, they had an outbreak. We wanted guidance over, would it be fair on Villa if we had symptomatic players around us?
I am not saying all our players are symptomatic and have Covid because some are injured.
Smith admitted he had 'no idea' how many Covid cases his side would need for a match to be postponed, and it is understood that there is no official threshold for the number of positive cases that would cause a Premier League game to be called off.
But rival bosses in Arsenal's Mikel Arteta and Brentford's Thomas Frank have also called for greater clarity over the issue.
The Premier League has recently established that lateral flow tests must be taken daily at top-flight clubs, with PCR testing increased to twice a week.
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