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Friday, March 29, 2024

Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus, club to thank NHS workers with free match tickets

Duration: 04:44s 0 shares 4 views

Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus, club to thank NHS workers with free match tickets
Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus, club to thank NHS workers with free match tickets

VIDEO SHOWS: VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH SOUNDBITES FROM BRIGHTON'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN PAUL BARBER AND MANAGER GRAHAM POTTER / VIDEO MESSAGES FROM BRIGHTON PLAYERS INSTRUCTING PEOPLE TO

VIDEO SHOWS: VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH SOUNDBITES FROM BRIGHTON'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN PAUL BARBER AND MANAGER GRAHAM POTTER / VIDEO MESSAGES FROM BRIGHTON PLAYERS INSTRUCTING PEOPLE TO STAY AT HOME IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGES RESENDING WITH TO INCLUDE SOUNDBITE ON POSSIBILITY OF PL SALARY CUTS SHOWS: BRIGHTON, ENGLAND, UK (MARCH 26, 2020) (BHAFC HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL) 1.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGHTON'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, PAUL BARBER, TALKING ABOUT ONE PLAYER TESTING POSITIVE, SAYING: "First of all, we've had three players tested so far.

One has been tested positive.

We're not testing them routinely.

We're only testing them when symptoms emerge but the one that tested positive was just today.

So, that's unfortunate but he's OK and obviously he's getting the care that he needs at the moment." 2.

BARBER SPEAKING DURING VIDEO CONFERENCE 3.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGHTON'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, PAUL BARBER, TALKING ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF SALARY CUTS, SAYING: "I think at the moment, because we're focused on getting back to playing at some stage in the future and completing the season - and we're still asking players to train and do all those things, we're trying to hold where we can everyone's jobs, we're trying not to ask for wage reductions or look at wage reductions.

We're just seeing how far we can progress and obviously at some point if we're looking at a very long period of not playing and therefore no income then obviously we have to look at every option.

But at the moment our focus is very much on trying to keep the business as stable as possible as we are." 4.

BARBER LISTENING DURING VIDEO CONFERENCE 5.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGHTON'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, PAUL BARBER, ON PLAN TO GIVE MATCH TICKETS TO NHS WORKERS, SAYING: "We wanted to find a way of saying thank you.

It started off with that.

We started off in Brighton as the initial epicentre of the virus and we've since had a number of people in the area taken into critical care.

The NHS in this city has been under enormous strain and the staff have been doing an incredible job, as they have been all over the country.

So, we just wanted to find a way to say thanks and give them something to look forward to.

I think that was the thing that was most striking.

At the moment, we're filled with a period of weeks of gloom, despondency, frustration and potentially sadness for people.

So, we wanted to find a way of doing what we could.

And we're a football club, you know, what more can we do than provide some tickets to matches?

We know how much people love coming to games, even if they're not great fans hopefully it will give them something to look forward to once this period is over." 6.

BARBER SPEAKING DURING VIDEO CONFERENCE 7.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGHTON'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, PAUL BARBER, ON WHEN THE SEASON MAY RESUME, SAYING: "With the news every day it seems the virus is getting worse in our country and the number of people losing their lives from it seems to be going up.

I think it is very hard for anyone to contemplate football at the moment.

As Graham (Potter) has already said several times, at the moment people's health must come first.

We've got to respect the situation the government is trying to deal with.

We've got to respect the fact that people's lives are on the line, so as much as we all miss football, we all love football, we'd all love to be playing football soon we've also got to be realistic about what's going on in the country and across the world at the moment." 8.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGHTON MANAGER, GRAHAM POTTER, ON HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO GET SQUAD BACK IN PLAYING FROM IF PLAY RESUMES IN LATE APRIL, SAYING: "There's a lot of ifs, but yeah, not too long I would say.

End of April is quite some time without activity and it depends on when we can start training.

It depends on when that is.

You can drive yourself mad when you are in my position trying to second guess what is going to happen.

Clearly there are more important things that everyone needs to concentrate on now, in terms of the right thing for the country and the right thing for the NHS.

We just need to make sure when it is the right time for football, we can help the country and get back to playing, then we are ready.

As I said before, the situation might not be perfect but we are in unprecedented times.

And we just have to make sure we can adapt and be ready." UNKNOWN LOCATIONS (RECENT) (BHAFC HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL) 9.

VARIOUS OF BRIGHTON PLAYERS SENDING VIDEO MESSAGES INSTRUCTING PEOPLE TO STAY AT HOME IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGES STORY: A Brighton & Hove Albion player has tested positive with the coronavirus and two others were tested the team's chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said via video conference on Thursday (March 26).

Barber declined to reveal the identity of the player who tested positive but did say he was doing OK and was getting the care he needed.

The Premier League is currently suspended until at least April 30 after the pandemic brought sport worldwide to a virtual standstill.

The pause in action has already brought financial strain to some clubs and though he said the league is currently focused on finding a way to complete the season and save jobs without salary reductions, Barber said if there is a "very long period of not playing and therefore no income" that all options will be on the table.

Barber also said the Premier League side's plan to provide at least 1,000 match tickets to workers from Britain's National Health Service (NHS) is simply a way to thank them for their role in fighting the coronavirus.

Brighton invited other Premier League, EFL, Scottish and Northern Irish clubs to get involved.

Fellow south coast club Bournemouth pledged to donate at least 1,000 tickets.

When asked when he thought play would resume, Barber said it was too early to guess given the dire situation Britain and much of the world are facing due to the deadly coronavirus.

Manager Graham Potter echoed that sentiment saying there are more important things than soccer at the moment, adding that he did not think it would take long to get his side back into playing form when the time comes.

The club also released on Thursday a compilation of players instructing people to stay at their homes as much of the world has adopted social distancing measures and lockdowns to try and slow the spread of the contagion.

(Production: Kurt Michael Hall)

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