Lancashire amateur football 'not worth Covid risk'

Allowing grassroots football to continue in parts of Lancashire was "a risk not worth taking", the county's public health chief has said.

The Lancashire FA sparked outcry on Friday night when it suspended matches in eight areas until January.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi said authorities did not want to risk education and Christmas celebrations "for the sake of two weeks" of games.

"We will do everything we can to bring the games back," he said.

The suspension affects 900 teams and about 27,000 players in Pendle, Burnley, Hyndburn, Rossendale, Blackburn with Darwen, Ribble Valley, Preston and South Ribble.

Public health director Dr Karunanithi told BBC Radio Lancashire's Andy Bayes the decision had been made reluctantly.

But, he said: "We are looking at stopping or slowing down a pandemic."

He said rising cases in some parts of Lancashire "were not a good sign" with restrictions due to be temporarily relaxed towards Christmas.

With "pockets of high levels of the virus", having large numbers of people coming together "didn't feel collectively a risk worth taking", he said.

"When there is a rise in younger age groups it eventually finds its way into older age groups and we simply... did not want to have this for the sake of two weeks."

Dr Karunanithi acknowledged the backlash since the announcement, saying: "It is not just football - it is much more than that.

"It is part of our community and we want it to be flourishing."

On Sunday, the Lancashire FA also defended the short-notice announcement with chief executive Simon Gerrard saying he felt it made the "right decision at the right time".

Lancashire has been in tier three since the national lockdown was lifted on Wednesday.

The government has placed the county under the tightest restrictions due to a "very high level" of infections.

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