Masters snooker 2021 – Shaun Murphy slams 'idiot' Premier League footballers who ignore Covid rules
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Updated 15/01/2021 at 15:43 GMT
Murphy has not held back when addressing Covid breaches in football: "I would hate it if my sport, the sport I’ve been in love for 30 years, and that I know brings so much joy to so many people, was stamped on because of some of these idiots in football." Murphy bowed out of the Masters on Thursday evening in a 6-3 defeat to Stuart Bingham in Milton Keynes.
Shaun Murphy at the Masters
Image credit: Eurosport
Snooker star Shaun Murphy has launched a stinging tirade on "idiot" footballers who have broken Covid-19 rules.
The sports news landscape was littered with stories of players breaching guidelines over the festive period as coronavirus cases soared across the country.
The Premier League has seen 76 positive tests for Covid since December 28, a figure reported on Monday, leading to a number of top-flight postponements.
Murphy is hoping that sport can continue despite the troubling figures in the UK and said he will not hesitate to point the finger if elite-level competition is paused again.
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Murphy berates 'idiot' footballers who don't respect Covid rules
"I would be against sport stopping. I think it’s a real, real problem and a real shame if that does happen," Murphy told Eurosport after his 6-3 defeat to Stuart Bingham at the Masters.
"I would point the finger directly at some of the high-profile sports stars who have very publicly not followed the guidelines and rules that the rest of us have.
"If sport goes down, I’ll put the blame firmly with them."
All snooker tournaments this season have taken place behind closed doors in Milton Keynes, with players staying in a bubble during events to prevent outbreaks. All officials and staff are subject to the strict regulations.
World number one Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski were withdrawn from the Masters after testing positive before the tournament started.
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"We are leading by example and these other sports should come to one of our events and see how we do it," continued Murphy.
"I can only speak for myself, but when you compare the number of positive test results we have in our sports compared to others, we are a complete minority.
"That’s because our players respect the rules, our players respect the public who are paying their wages and watching them perform and we want to be here performing for everyone.
"Maybe some of the footballers earn too much to care. Maybe they’re not bothered about that.
"There was one footballer who has been done several times. I’m not sure who he is, he had a big party at his house on New Year’s Eve.
"We’re supposed to all be in this together, it doesn’t quite feel like that at the moment.
"And I would hate it if my sport, the sport I’ve been in love for 30 years, and that I know brings so much joy to so many people, was stamped on because of some of these idiots in football."
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