Only the other day the fans were disturbed to learn there were problems in the PSG dressing room over Covid-19 vaccination. It was learnt that Idrissa Gueye was sent to quarantine while the team were in Israel after he was found not vaccinated against the Coronavirus. It was reported that Gueye didn’t get vaccinated because of religious reasons but later agreed to reverse his decision. Well, PSG’s dressing room difficulties have gone far beyond it since then. If reports are to be believed then there are several star footballers, who do not see eye to eye for different reasons and do not care much about the team discipline. Even Lionel Messi and Neymar have been named in this bracket -- coach Mauricio Pochettino is not exactly enjoying a gala time in the star-studded Parisian squad.
Keeping aside the personal egos, Gueye’s reservation against vaccination is certainly not the lone incident. While the PSG management was able to make the Senegalese midfielder see the brighter side of getting the jabs, there are many other footballers across Europe, who are still not convinced about vaccination.
Statistics reveal the English Premier League is lagging the most behind in terms of vaccination. It was found that only 77% of players among the 20 clubs have been fully vaccinated; 16% of EPL players have not received a single dose of the vaccine. In Contrast, Italy’s Serie A has recorded 98% of players being fully vaccinated, Ligue 1 have reported 95% in France, while Germany’s Bundesliga and Spain's La Liga both have 92% of players fully vaccinated.
The worst is that some reputed former players are spreading misinformation and trying to discourage footballers from getting vaccinated. They include people like Matth Le Tisser and Trevor Sinclair, who have questioned whether issues like weak heart has been a possible consequence of taking the vaccination. Medical experts have called such claims absolute rubbish but lack of education among many footballers makes it difficult to drive home the right points. The EPL should impose stricter rules, like it is in Bundesliga, where there could be salary deduction for unvaccinated footballers, to make players fall in line.