Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling has revealed that some of his family members had died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. He also revealed that some of his friends have lost their grandmothers due to the pandemic. The City’s forward made this revelation to make known his reservation about the resumption of the Premier League.
The United Kingdom is one of the worst-hit countries as far as the pandemic is concerned. Over 223,000 cases have been confirmed in the UK. While over 32,000 coronavirus related deaths have been recorded so far.
In the midst of all these alarming numbers, the football FA and the Premier League have been trying their possible best to restart the 2019-2020 season which has been halted since March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their quest to restart the season under the theme “Project Restart” was aided on Sunday, May 10, when the Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson announced that top sports events can resume from June 1.
However, some players in the league have made their reservations known as far as the resumption of the season is concerned. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger, and a couple of other players have stressed that it won’t be easy mentally to play football amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Raheem Sterling is not Comfortable with resumption
Raheem Sterling, through his Youtube channel, added his voice to the need for those who are in charge of the league to ensure everyone is safe before the commencement of the season. The City’s star said though he is not scared of returning to the field to play football, he is reserved about what the outcome of doing so might be.
“I knew it was serious when football got cancelled,” the Manchester City star said. “I’m not saying football is the most important thing in the world but when a football event or the Premier League gets cancelled then you realise this is massive, this is something I’ve never seen.
“From the moment we got told we were off I knew this was very serious. I’ve had friends whose grandma’s passed away, I’ve had family members as well that have passed away. You’ve got to be wise and take care of yourself and those around you.
“The moment we do go back it just needs to be a moment where it’s not just for footballing reasons, it’s safe for not just us footballers but the whole medical staff, referees.
“I don’t know how that’s going to work, but I feel like once that side of the people’s safety and the player’s safety is secured and their wellbeing is looked after then that’s the right time to go back in.
“Until then, I’m…how can I say…not scared but reserved and thinking what the worst outcome could be. At the same time, I’m looking forward to it and I really want to get back but hopefully, it will all be well when we do get back.”
