Boris Johnson provides a major update on cancelling sporting events ahead of Sunderland v Blackpool

As the virus continues to spread around the world, the Prime Minister today announced that the UK would be moving to the ‘delay’ stage of dealing with coronavirus – and implementing a number of measures to postpone the peak of its impact.

But in the short-term they will not include cancelling major sporting events, with this wekeend’s football fixtures set to go ahead as planned.

Sunderland travel to Blackpool in League One on Saturday, March 14 and reports earlier on Thursday had suggested that the EFL could opt to play games behind closed doors as the government prepared to unveil their plans.

Now, however, this seems unlikely in the short-term – although the Prime Minister admitted that sporting events could be postponed in the future due to the strain they can put on public services.

He said: “We are considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures.

“The scientific advice is that this will have little effect on the spread but there's also the issue of the burden such events can place on public services.”

A number of others major leagues – including those in Spain, Portugal, the USA and the Netherlands – have already been postponed until the end of March.

But for the time being, English leagues will not be following suit, meaning Sunderland’s trip to Bloomfield Road looks set to go ahead as scheduled.

Indeed, it was business as usual at the Academy of Light today as the club continued their preparations for the game. Phil Parkinson is set to hold his pre-match press conference as usual on Friday afternoon and the players will be training in the morning.

Neither the EFL nor the Football Association have provided an update on fixtures prior to the weekend, with all fixtures throughout the pyramid set to go ahead as planned.