Luton Town have confirmed that none of their players or staff have been diagnosed with Coronavirus, but that they have implemented a social distancing policy to protect them while all fixtures have been suspended by the Football League.
The Hatters have also confirmed they will be ‘starved of income’ during the suspension, which has been initially imposed until Friday April 3, due to the Covid-19 disease spreading rapidly throughout the country, but which chief executive Gary Sweet expects could be extended.
The club’s supremo also called for the Premier League to dip into their £1.5billion coffers to help out clubs that will be financially hit by the crisis, after the EFL, Premier League and Football Association this morning announced that all matches will be immediately suspended for three weeks.
The club have also urged ‘patience and understanding’ from fans as they operate with a ‘skeleton structure,’ which will mean service levels fall below usual standards.
In a statement, the Hatters have said: ‘We can confirm that, as far as we know at this time, none of our players of coaching staff have caught the virus and none are in isolation most likely due to the strict policies we had already imposed around player and staff safety, including social distancing.
‘We plead for all supporters to have patience and understanding with the Club and its staff during this time. The club will be starved of income when its financial liabilities remaining the same as staff operate either in isolation or on a skeleton structure.
‘Whilst we believe we are acting responsibly, quickly and with balance but, like everyone, we have no experience of coping in this situation so supporters will inevitably experience service levels below our usual standards when we will beg for forgiveness.
‘We will continue to communicate regularly with any updates and news as they occur.
We thank you for your support at this unprecedented time and please take care of yourselves and your families.’
The statement also added: ‘With the EFL announcement in mind, we ask everyone to ensure they strictly observe government and NHS guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus.’
The club have also confirmed that anyone who had paid for tomorrow’s home match against Preston North End that all tickets remain valid for any rearranged date, but that the ticket office will be closed until further notice. The club shop on Park Street will be open and can handle ticket enquiries.
Tomorrow’s match-day programme will also be on sale at the Park Street shop, which could prove a collectors’ item.
