West Ham United defender Angelo Ogbonna has slammed the UK government and the Premier League for their delayed response to the Coronavirus epidemic, as per reports in the Mirror.
This comes shortly after the Premier League decided to postpone fixtures up until April 4, which according to Ogbonna was too late a response.
Prior to the announcement of suspending the Premier League until early April, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea’s 18-year-old winger Callum Hudson-Odoi both tested positive for the Coronavirus.
The Hammers defender believes that the suspension of Premier League football should have happened earlier.
Ogbonna even accused the top-flight and the government of ‘waiting for someone to die’ before taking action.
Speaking to Italian media outlet Corriere della Sera as quoted in the Mirror, Ogbonna said:
“I am happy and relieved that everything has now been suspended, including the minor leagues,”
“It was almost as if they wanted to ignore such a serious problem. It’s not just football, but this problem is ingrained in the English mentality.”
“They still don’t realise the danger of a virus that can be passed on in seconds if you don’t behave the right way.”
Speaking about West Ham’s game against Arsenal that was played despite Coronavirus scares, the Hammers defender said:
“It’s completely unacceptable that the Arsenal game against us was allowed to go ahead. They had just played against Olympiacos, whose president tested positive for coronavirus.”
“It’s almost as if they were waiting for someone to die before taking action.”
West Ham’s next Premier League game is scheduled to take place on April 5th with the Hammers hosting London rivals Chelsea at the London Stadium.