Caborn urges restart, on tv at least

Last updated : 29 April 2020 By Millersmad

“Everything has to be evidence-based but as long as the evidence from the scientists is there, it is the duty of the politicians and administrators to find ways of ensuring their people are playing safe sport,” Caborn told the Yorkshire Post.

“Anything to get safe, live sport back on the television would have a huge effect on the nation. It really would provide a big boost to morale and would show we are moving into a new phase, the start of the post-pandemic era. Even matches behind closed doors are very important psychologically and I think the television companies ought to be looking at putting it on free to air. I hope they would play their role.”

“People have been in touch with me about the technology which is around, and I have written to the sports minister, the Premier League, World Snooker and others to draw it to their attention, Somebody I know put me in touch with a Manchester company called VST Enterprises who have produced a health passport called V-Covid, which could be ideal for football."

“It’s not something that would be available for mass production, but it’s a passport system – green, amber and red. You won’t be able to have social distancing, but if you can check at 2pm before a 3pm kick-off that all the players are free from the virus, that should be enough, and the technology is there to do that."

“We could only do it with the scientific and medical officers giving their clearance, but I think the upside would be massive."

“I think you’re looking at all sports that can be televised for the nation’s entertainment and psychology. We should be asking are they popular and are they on television? Football, rugby, cricket, snooker and Formula 1 all have different issues to resolve, but it should be possible with all of them."

“I was in the Cabinet when we had the bird flu epidemic. It was nothing like this in terms of the scale but I was in meetings every day and it made you appreciate we have some incredible scientists and medics in this country and you can put them under fairly strong questioning and they and their teams will always answer the questions.”

“I hope clubs act responsibly, and if not, I would say to them their games will be taken off television, If there was a group of irresponsible fans gathering outside a ground, I would hold the clubs responsible and they would not be very popular in their communities if it meant their games were no longer shown as a result.” he added.