THE coronavirus outbreak has had a major impact on domestic and overseas sport. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson assesses the current situation – and looks at what might happen next

WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH ENGLISH FOOTBALL?

Yesterday was a landmark day for English football, with all the major authorities combining to issue a statement announcing the postponement of all professional football in this country until at least the weekend of April 4.

The FA, Premier League, EFL and WSL have confirmed that all matches in the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship will be postponed. The FA Cup quarter-final matches scheduled for next weekend will also not take place.

In addition, the FA have confirmed the postponement of England’s international friendlies against Italy and Denmark that were due to take place at Wembley at the end of this month.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, the FA and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”

WHAT HAS SPARKED THE CHANGE IN POLICY?

As of Thursday teatime, the message coming out of the Premier League was that it would be business as usual this weekend. That was a response to the Prime Minister’s press conference on Thursday afternoon in which he announced the Government would not be demanding the cancellation of sporting events.

However, the situation changed late on Thursday night when it was announced that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had contracted coronavirus. Later that evening, it was also revealed that Chelsea midfielder Callum Hudson-Odoi had produced a positive test for COVID-19.

It has subsequently emerged that Bournemouth, Leicester City, Manchester City and West Ham United also have some of their first-team players in self-isolation amid fears they might have coronavirus.

As a result, the Premier League felt compelled to call a halt temporary halt to their schedule, with the EFL and WSL following suit.

IS ANY FOOTBALL TAKING PLACE THIS WEEKEND?

In Scotland, all football from the professional level down to the grassroots has been postponed for at least a week. However, the FA have allowed leagues below the professional pyramid to make their own assessment about whether to stage games.

Somewhat surprisingly, the National League issued a statement yesterday afternoon announcing that their leagues would continue as usual. Therefore, Hartlepool United will be playing at Sutton United in the National League this afternoon, while Darlington, Spennymoor Town, York City and Blyth Spartans are involved in games in National League North.

The Northern League programme continues, although the Teesside Junior Football Alliance, the largest collection of junior leagues in the region, has suspended its fixtures until April 3 and the Russell Foster Youth Football League has called off all of today’s games.

WILL EURO 2020 TAKE PLACE?

It is looking extremely unlikely. UEFA has called an emergency meeting for this Tuesday at which representatives from all its constituent nations will discuss plans for the tournament, which is due to start on June 12 and feature matches in 12 different countries.

It is expected that UEFA will agree to a 12-month postponement, which will see the tournament rescheduled for the summer of 2021. That could potentially be problematic as the governing body will be keen to avoid a direct clash with the Women’s European Championship, which is due to be staged in England in the summer of 2021.

Staging Euro 2020 in 2021 would also mean scrapping the Nations League finals, which are scheduled for the year in between the European Championships and the next World Cup.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE POSTPONED GAMES IN THE TOP FOUR LEAGUES?

At this stage, the hope is that the professional game will be able to resume on the weekend of April 4. Given that there was due to be an international break at the end of the month anyway, that will mean Premier League teams will only have to reschedule one or two league matches.

However, most medical experts are predicting that the UK’s coronavirus outbreak could still be reaching its peak in May and June, which would make restarting the football programme in the next two or three months extremely difficult.

If UEFA agree to postpone Euro 2020, there is a chance domestic leagues could be completed in late summer, which would mean pushing back the start of the 2020-21 season.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE GAMES CANNOT BE PLAYED?

The Premier League and EFL both insist their preferred scenario is to play the current campaign to a conclusion. However, if that proves impossible because the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen throughout the summer, they will find themselves in an unprecedented position.

There is a chance the season could end with clubs occupying the positions they currently hold in the table. However, that would cause problems as in all of the top four divisions, some teams have played more games than others.

In a worst-case scenario, there is the possibility the entire season could be scrapped, with no one winning a title and promotion and relegation being scrapped. However, that could lead to a legal claim if a club like Leeds United missed out on promotion to the Premier League and was forced to start a new season from scratch.

WHAT HAS BEEN SCRAPPED OUTSIDE OF FOOTBALL?

In short, pretty much everything. England’s cricketers have flown home from Sri Lanka after their planned two-Test series was scrapped, and the ECB has confirmed it has begun putting together contingency plans in case the start of the domestic season has to be delayed.

Golf’s Players Championship was abandoned after just one round at Sawgrass on Thursday, and the first men’s Major of the year, the US Masters, has been postponed with the PGA saying they hope to be able to stage the event later in the year.

Today’s Six Nations game between Wales and Scotland was postponed yesterday – the games involving England, Italy, Ireland and France had already been called off – while the opening Grand Prix of the season which was due to be staged in Australia this weekend has also been scrapped.

The London Marathon, which was due to take place on Sunday, April 26, has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 4.

IS ANY OTHER SPORT STILL TAKING PLACE?

Horse racing continues, with yesterday’s Cheltenham Gold Cup having produced a thrilling finish in front of more than 60,000 spectators. Today’s meetings at Fontwell, Kempton, Newcastle, Uttoxeter and Wolverhampton are due to take place as planned, although Monday’s meeting at Kelso will be staged behind-closed-doors after the Scottish government banned outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people in order to protect the resilience of critical emergency services.

Domestic rugby union continues, with Newcastle Falcons having hosted Bedford Blues at Kingston Park last night, and as things stand, Newcastle Arena is still due to stage the latest round in the Unibet Premier League Darts on Thursday night.