Multiple Brighton and Hove Albion staff members enter self-isolation

As the sporting world is flipped upside down due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, English Premier League club Brighton become one of many clubs affected during the outbreak.

This past weekend will go down in history, not just because of the actual virus itself; but largely due to the after-effects that the pandemic is causing throughout the economy.

Unfortunately, sports, in general, have been heavily affected after crowd numbers were limited by governments. The English Football league cancelled future fixtures until further notice after reported cases circulating throughout some of the biggest teams.

Brighton Hove Albion and the Coronavirus
Staff members of Brighton and Hove Albion have entered self-isolation based on the Coronavirus outbreak. None of the five staff members is infected but it was believed they’d made contact with victims of the virus and have self-isolated as a precautionary measure.

The chief executive of the club passed comment: “There is a contingency plan in place. We have been fortunate that there have been no cases amongst our players or first-team staff, we do have five members of staff self-isolating, which is a precautionary measure for a range of different reasons – either due to travel reasons or contact with potential cases – but none are showing symptoms of the virus at this stage.”

The club has also told full-time staff members to work from home as of Monday, if possible. To minimise the current threat, those unable to work from home are following strict protocols to minimise the threat of Coronavirus.

The CEO added: “We have sent home staff that doesn’t need to be here in the office, both at the stadium and training ground. If people do report sick, show symptoms of the virus, come into contact with the virus or think they have the virus, then we have plans in place to self-isolate.”

Brighton’s originally scheduled fixture was set to take place this past weekend against Arsenal. The match was cancelled Friday night once the news broke that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had tested positive for the virus.

The overall suspension of the English Premier League campaign was originally announced to resume fixtures on April 4th, but given the current situation, those dates become more optimistic by the day.

The next fixture for Brighton is due to take place on the 4th versus Manchester United which seems highly unlikely at this point.

How do we solve the remainder of the football season? 🤔

This is what Brighton’s Chief executive Paul Barber thinks…#bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/1Klm5vpZd5

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 14, 2020

Bookmakers suspend betting on Brighton
Football fans won’t be the only ones saddened by the postponement of English Football League as bookmakers and Sportsbook casinos are set to suffer in a big way. So much so that they’ve suspended selected betting markets, including the top leagues from the majority of European leagues – Premier League, La Liga, Scottish Premier and the Champions League just to name a few.

With the decline in sports to place wagers on, it becomes a serious problem for the bookmaker’s revenue so it’s no surprise they’re suspending markets to cover their back and a future potential loss.

The latest odds and news for Brighton bettors; will be that those who’d hoped relegation on Brighton (priced at 5.00 +400 previously) may not have a ticket to hope on anymore.

A European bookmaker said: “There is currently no guidance over what will happen with bets placed on the outcome of the Premier League should the Seagulls not complete their season, with all parties currently committed to finishing the 2019/20 campaign.”

Premier League executives will hold a meeting later this week to discuss their re-scheduling plans, while UEFA will make plans early-week with the European Championships at the fore-front.

Brighton is two points clear of the relegation zone, perhaps the lay-off could favour them more so than others, but until now, stay safe and protect your loved ones.

We’re not only left without any fixtures, we’re also witnessing the bookmakers slowly remove certain markets and future bets and damaging the betting community.