Why Covid-ravaged Portsmouth are backing Football League decision not to halt season for Sunderland, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton & Co

Pompey have already suffered three fixture casualties at the hands of coronavirus during the festive period.
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Nonetheless, Andy Cullen has backed the Football League’s decision to plough ahead with match schedules rather than enforcing a ‘circuit breaker’.

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The Blues, in particular, have suffered disruption due to Covid, prompting the postponement of matches against AFC Wimbledon and Exeter since Saturday.

Yet Cullen is convinced league chiefs delivered the correct decision considering the extent of information currently available.

Pompey’s chief executive told The News: ‘I think it’s tricky.

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‘I can understand why some people might advocate a circuit breaker, but it’s a bit like having a winter break in football because of bad weather – you never know when that bad weather is going to come.

Pompey chief executive Andy Cullen approves of the Football League's decision not to apply a circuit breaker. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImages/PinPPompey chief executive Andy Cullen approves of the Football League's decision not to apply a circuit breaker. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImages/PinP
Pompey chief executive Andy Cullen approves of the Football League's decision not to apply a circuit breaker. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImages/PinP

‘Equally with this, it would be extremely difficult for the EFL to get consensus among member clubs to introduce a circuit breaker over Christmas.

‘For some clubs, Boxing Day is very much a game they really, really count on to survive in terms of financial.

‘The holiday period is important, you have potentially four games over Christmas if you include the Saturday before.

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‘In our case, we have one home game (Oxford) and two away (Plymouth and Cambridge United). With Cambridge, that’s a Bank Holiday game, which can provide a real boost for that club.

‘So I think it would be difficult to call those off. If we can get a game of football on safely then we should until the evidence and science says otherwise.

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‘My understanding is, particularly in terms of omicron, there’s still a few days before they can fully understand what the longer-term impact is – and that’s what drives it.

‘We move into a different area in life once you start to see incredible pressure put on the NHS and in our hospitals, which drove previous restrictions.

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‘I think the Football League were probably right in their interpretation of what a circuit breaker would mean.

‘I am fine with that, we will have to take it individually, when we can play, we’ll play.’

This time last year, Pompey lost games against Swindon and Bristol Rovers through coronavirus.

In addition, a January 2 trip to Accrington was postponed through a frozen pitch.

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Cullen added: ‘We have the complication that this League One season finishes a week earlier compared to League Two and the Championship.

‘But you start to look at March, for example, where there are no midweek fixtures scheduled, so you have quite a few fall backs where you can get your rearranged games in.

‘Although, in an ideal world, the last thing anybody wants is to play Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday through the rest of the season.’

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