Will A-League continue in face of coronavirus?
The A-League is continuing for now, but that could quickly change as the sport tries to navigate an uncertain landscape.
Football
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A-league clubs are braced for the first confirmed cases of coronavirus among players and staff, which could torpedo any prospect of continuing the season behind closed doors.
So far there have been no reported cases of the disease at clubs, with strict quarantining measures implemented across the league around senior playing squads and their staff.
A COVID-19 working committee of officials from across the game is grappling with the huge ramifications of the government’s ban on gatherings of more than 500 people implemented from Monday, with major fallout from whichever route they choose.
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A further and significant complication is the New Zealand Government’s implementation of 14 days self-isolation for anyone arriving there from overseas.
In the short term the most likely course for competition bosses is to try to play at least the next couple of rounds behind closed doors, most crucially to fulfil the terms of the broadcast deal with Fox Sports. Phoenix play in Newcastle next weekend and then have a bye.
But similar plans to keep going without fans in England were dropped when Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and players at several clubs tested positive for the corona virus, and it is inconceivable that the A-League could continue once a case is reported at a club here with teammates and coaches forced into isolation.
The double whammy for clubs in that scenario is that players coming off contract would have to have their deals extended beyond their expiry at the end of May to allow for the resumption of the competition at some point, but with no revenue coming in from hosting games.
To complicate it further, a number of players are due to take up deals at other clubs, creating a legal minefield around questions of insurance and the integrity of the existing season.
So far the working committee has not formulated a position on whether to suspend the league or try to play games in empty stadiums at least in the short term.
More guidance is expected from the government late on Sunday, and other codes have made clear their determination to keep playing without spectators in the hope that the ban on gatherings turns out to be relatively brief.
Meanwhile a suite of measures will be implemented over this weekend to try to keep all A-League players and coaches disease-free – from bans on mascots, to reporters being unable to place their recording devices near coaches at press conferences.
At an international level, the suspension of all travel involving Australia's men's and women's national teams means the Matildas friendlies against the US and Canada have been cancelled, and huge doubts now hang over the Olympics and the Copa America later in the year.