Some West Brom fans have been reacting on social media to recent reports that suggest upcoming games may be ‘played behind closed doors due to COVID-19’.
The Times has reported that “all football matches in England will be played behind closed doors” as part of the government’s plan to combat the spread of COVID-19, with the plans set to be put into action “as early as today [Thursday]”.
West Brom-focused Twitter account @Baggies_Facts argued against plans to move games behind closed doors via a tweet, which has attracted the attention of some Baggies fans to respond with their own opinions.
With nine games left to be played in the 2019/20 Championship season, West Brom currently sit in second place in the Championship table, trailing league leaders Leeds United by just one point.
While The Baggies could be crowned champions this season, many West Brom supporters have backed calls to play games behind closed doors on social media, despite the importance of their remaining fixtures.
Meanwhile, others have expressed disappointment at the potential decision. Read the reactions of some West Brom supporters to the latest reports on the government’s reported plans to play games behind closed doors in the tweets below.
Should football matches be postponed or played behind closed doors?PLAY THEM BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
POSTPONE THEM UNTIL LATER
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https://twitter.com/Baggies_Facts/status/1237910604536479745
More important things than football though as long as we still get promoted and the games are on tele I don’t mind
— SamLad WBA (@SamuelRoberts01) March 12, 2020
Arguably more important things than football though? They’re just trying to prevent a large spike in cases that might put unnecessary strain in an already overstretched NHS…
— Joe Bowden (@JoeBowden3) March 12, 2020
Better than cancelling the season and starting again in 2020/21 leaving us in EFL!!
— Bob Partridge (@boblpartridge) March 12, 2020
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I don’t think you quite grasp the seriousness of the situation. At this point we will do well to complete the season at all.
And if we play with a full stadium some of the fans will not live to see next season because of it.
— Ross Wood (@Standaman60) March 12, 2020
There’s also the possibility that we don’t get promotion because of this. Since that could happen then I’d rather they played them behind closed doors
— G-WBA (@LocalBaggiesFan) March 12, 2020
“Grandad where were you when West Brom got promoted to the Premier League?”
“In my living room, because the game was played behind closed doors” ? #WBA— Glenn Thompson (@glennthompson85) March 12, 2020
What do we think?
While it may be fair to say that football is much less entertaining without the fans, it may be the correct decision to play football matches behind closed doors to combat the spread of COVID-19.
As some West Brom supporters stated in the tweets above, some things are more important than football, and if the government deems it to be necessary to play games behind closed doors, as The Times has reported, then it may be fair to say that football fans should respect that decision as one being made for the good of the public’s health, regardless of if the decision has a negative impact on their enjoyment of the game.