Players could be booked for spitting when football returns, with FIFA’s Medical Committee chairman warning that the practice could spread coronavirus among players.
With most football leagues all across Europe planning to return to action over the next couple of months, concerns have been raised with regards to the health hazards in doing so, especially with them spitting on the field.
Players have been often spotted indulging in spitting when exhausted during the match and FIFA’s Medical committee chairman Michel D’Hooghe has warned that will have to stop.
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Spitting should be outlawed on resumption and punished by yellow card, says Fifa’s chief medic (1/5)https://t.co/KMQm9jAvnw
— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) April 28, 2020
“This is a common practice in football and it is not very hygienic,” the sport’s governing body’s Medical Committee chairman told the Telegraph.
He added, “So when we start football again I think we should have to avoid that at maximum. The question is whether that will be possible. Perhaps they can give a yellow card. It is unhygienic and a good way to spread the virus. This is one of the reasons why we have to be very careful before we start again. I am not pessimistic but I am rather sceptical at the moment.”
Before football stopped last month the Premier League had already stopped the pre-match handshake, with players simply walking past each other at the beginning of games.
