Verdict: why Portsmouth & Co were right to tackle the coronavirus head on

The only surprise is the unprecedented ruling to suspend games came less than 24 hours after the government told us there was no need for such a measure in the bid to tackle the coronavirus outbreak – for the time being at least.

Advice most of us would have welcomed given our love of the game and the desire to see Pompey complete the promotion job we all crave, irrespective of recent results.

However, as news broke late Thursday night regarding Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and his positive testing of Covid-19, there was only one sensible thing to do – cancel football at all levels and take the lead offered by other sporting bodies and organisations around the world.

Action that both the Premier League and their EFL counterparts promptly took – and something the Blues and Saturday’s opponents Accrington were prepared to do regardless of emergency meetings elsewhere.

With the Gunners’ boss and his staff on our very door step just over a week ago, an issue that seemed too far-flung be concerned about suddenly became too close for comfort.

Rather than it being an issue we watched from afar via the TV set, with the ability to turn away any unsavoury news with the click of a button, evidence emerged that is was closer to home than expected.

And there’s no control worth clicking that will drown out the noise now dominating the agenda.

Of course, there’s no evidence at this moment in time to suggest that anyone at Pompey has been infeacted with coronavirus the Gunners’ visit to Fratton Park on March 2.

Yes, players and staff have been sent home ahead of testing to be carried out on Monday at the earliest.

But delaying the postponement of games, whether it be Pompey’s matches or Southampton games, was certainly not worth the risk we’d be placing on the welfare of others – particularly given how big the footballing family is.

After all, it’s just not the players we all admire on pitch who are at risk following a brief meeting such as Arsenal’s trip to PO4 in the FA Cup.

Nor does it simply stop at the manager, the coaches, the kit man, or even the team bus driver.

It’s all of us – from the photographers on the side of the pitch to stewards on the turnstiles, from the programme sellers around the ground to the fans in the stand sat in row z.

Without being too dramatic, through our connections with the beautiful game, there’s a chance we could all eventually be caught up in this unfortunate pandemic and for things to turn ugly quickly.

That’s why I applaud the footballing authorities for their independent decision to tackle this problem head on.

Yes, it disrupts the norm, puts our plans on hold, plays havoc with our schedules and even hits us in the pocket.

It might even eventually put pay to the Blues’ promotion push – we’ll never know.

But it was necessary and the correct thing to do, regardless of the many unanswered questions we all now have about what happens next.

For example, will Pompey’s Leasing.com Trophy final against Salford still be played on April 5?

When will the season actually finish? Will the end-of-season play-offs still take place? Will Sean Raggett’s loan move expire before the campaign is finished?

All legitimate concerns, bar the Raggett one, of course, for fans the length and breath of the country.

But issues that are ultimately insignificant when people’s safety is at risk.

Some suggest that an alternative solution is to play games behind closed doors, with us all tuning into iFollow to cheer on Kenny Jackett’s side.

But football can’t exist without fans.

And if a small delay in proceedings means we can all be there to witness Pompey clinch promotion in the flesh – no, coronavirus has corrupted my mind – then I for one am happy to wait and see.