Coronavirus: Wayne Rooney says footballers treated like 'guinea pigs' after postponement delay | 1 News Day, breaking news, sport, business, politics, Science & Health

2:53 Sky Sports News’ chief reporter Bryan Swanson explains the reasons behind the decision to suspend all domestic professional football in England until at least April 3.

“After the emergency meeting, at last the right decision was made,” Rooney said. “Until then it almost felt like footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs.

“The rest of sport – tennis, Formula One, rugby, golf, football in other countries – was closing down and we were being told to carry on.

“At Derby County, we sat at training on Thursday waiting for Boris Johnson to speak. People were anxious. Thankfully football made the right call in the end. We had to put the season on hold. Some people won’t be happy but I just think, in this case, football has to come second. It’s a sport. It’s just a sport.

0:35 Sky Sports’ Phil Thompson believes a null and void season would not be fair, and fixtures should be completed if possible.

“If people’s lives are at risk, that has to come first – regardless of whether you’re going to win the league title, whether you’re trying to get into Europe or whether you’re going to get relegated or promoted.

“We’re happy to play until September if the season extends to then, if that’s how it has to be. That’s our job. As long as we know we’re safe to play and it’s a safe environment for spectators, we’ll play.

“The next World Cup is in November and December 2022, so you could actually use this situation as an opportunity and say we’re going to finish the 2019-20 season later this year, then prepare for 2022 by having the next two seasons starting in winter.”