Troy Deeney, Watford captain explained his young son ‘s worries and personal reasons for failing to return to training – including the unresolved problems concerning BAME players.
To discuss contact training, more meetings planned for May 26, the agreement between the 20 Premier League teams will see small group training back on the agenda from Tuesday.
Deeney suggested that the assurances he had been seeking had failed about his plans to stay at home.
“We’re due back in this week. I’ve said I’m not going – Speaking to Eddie Hearn and Tony Bellew on their Talk the Talk YouTube show, said the Hornets strikers.
“Within the meeting, I asked very simple questions. For Black, Asian and mixed ethnicities they are four times more likely to get the illness and twice as likely to have a long-lasting illness: Is there any additional screening? Heart stuff to see if anyone has a problem?”
“I feel that should be addressed. I can’t get a haircut until mid-July but I can go and get in a box with 19 people and jump for a header? I don’t know how that works. No one could answer the questions – not because they didn’t want to, because they didn’t have the information.”
“I just said ‘If you don’t know the information, why would I put myself at risk?’.”
And it’s not just himself that Deeney is worried about. Expanding on his previous unwillingness to get back to work, he said, “It only takes one person to get infected. I don’t want to carry it home — my son is five months old and he’s had trouble breathing.”
“I don’t want to come home and put him in more danger. You’ve got to drive back in the same dirty kit – if I’m putting my clothes in with my son’s clothing or my missus’ clothing it’s more likely to be in and around the house.”
“I’ve lost my Dad, my Gran, my Grandad…I’ve lost more or less everyone that I care about. So that, to me, is more important than a few quid in my back pocket.”
