Freddie Flintoff has told talkSPORT he is AGAINST football and cricket resuming action while the coronavirus crisis is still affecting lives.
Sporting events across the world have been postponed or even scrapped altogether as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global lockdown.
However, those in charge of the world’s leading sports are making plans to resume and there are new proposals from Premier League chiefs to restart the top flight football campaign as early as June.
It is claimed their aim is to complete the 2019/20 season in a seven-week period behind closed doors, and there are even suggestions the threat of relegation could be removed.
In cricket, meanwhile, England are in talks to get action under way in their Test series against West Indies and are working towards a return date of July 8.
Plenty of sports fans in lockdown will no doubt welcome the return of live action, but there are plenty of others who see leagues and competitions restarting as too big a risk to the health of players and other workers involved in the sports.
And England cricket legend Flintoff is in the latter camp.
Speaking on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast, the Ashes winner said: “It doesn’t seem right to me, with all of us sat at home not leaving the house.
“We’re crossing the road when somebody is coming the other way or when runners go past you on the street, and to think there is going to be sport going on.
“As players sometimes you get put under so much pressure to make a decision which should not be theirs; it should be taken out of the players’ hands, I believe.
“At this moment in time I don’t think playing sport is in the best interests of the players or the public.
“People want to see sport and there will be financial implications if it doesn’t happen, with TV rights and things like that, so everyone is trying to make a way to get sport back out there.
“And yeah, make plans; football is saying June and cricket is saying July, but be flexible on them.
“There’s a month between now and when they’re hoping football to return, and with the figures we’re seeing every day from the government, I’m just not seeing it.”
Meanwhile, Daily Mirror football columnist Darren Lewis has told talkSPORT sportsmen and women cannot be expected to return to action and perform during the pandemic just for the sake of entertainment.
He said: “We’ve got senior government and health professionals saying we could have social distancing until the end of the year – it’s okay for everybody else, but not for the players, who are going to be asked to go out there and kick a d ball around just so we can all feel excited?
“I think we need to look at the bigger picture and get this into perspective!”
Listen to a clip of Freddie Flintoff on talkSPORT, above…