Coronavirus: Rudiger Calls For End To Football Season

Antonio Rudiger believes Liverpool should be awarded the Premier League title and the season should be ended immediately amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Jurgen Klopp’s side boast a stunning 25-point lead over nearest challengers Manchester City and were just two games away from mathematically securing their first league title since 1990 when the league was shutdown due to COVID-19.

But for Rudiger, he has put domestic rivalries aside and the Chelsea defender feels that Klopp’s men are worthy champions whether the season reaches a conclusion or not.

‘Honestly, as far as I’m concerned they can give Liverpool the title,’ Rudiger told ZDF.

‘At the end of the day they deserve it, they’ve had a great season and are leading the table with, oh I don’t know how many points.

‘The thing is they were going to win the thing anyway, so I think the title is theirs ethically. Of course, I hope that the season can be finished and it will be sporting for everyone.

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‘But, as I’ve said before if we continue to play and there is a danger, and we ignore that while people are dying somewhere in the world, I don’t know if that would sit right on my conscience.’

Rudiger feels a sense of responsibility given that the United Kingdom has been one of the worst affected countries in the world by the novel coronavirus.

In the UK alone, there have been more than 165,000 confirmed cases, with 26,097 deaths at the time of writing.

Those figures make it second-worst in Europe behind Italy, and third-worst globally behind the United States, who are first.

The Premier League continue to await for guidance from the UK government having stressed they will only consider a return to action – which would be behind-closed-doors – if given the green light by Westminster.

Some teams – Arsenal and Tottenham are among them – have started to return to training, modified as so to observe social distancing rules during a national lockdown.