Manchester City and Arsenal match postponed over fears of coronavirus

The Premier League has announced that Wednesday’s match between Manchester City and Arsenal has been postponed.

The Premier League noted that the decision was taken “as a precautionary measure,” to curtail the spread of coronavirus.

The league said that the decision followed the announcement on Tuesday that the owner of English second-tier club Nottingham Forest and Greek side Olympiakos, Evangelos Marinakis, tested positive to the virus.

“Thirteen days ago, Olympiakos played Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the UEFA Europa League and Mr. Marinakis, the Greek club’s owner, met with several Arsenal squad members and staff.

“Following medical advice, Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC consider it is necessary to postpone their fixture due to be played this evening, Wednesday, March 11, to give time to fully assess the situation,” the Premier League said in a statement.

However, this is the first match in the Premier League to be called off due to the novel coronavirus.