Paul Parker: Football doing its duty in defiance of unfair targeting from politicians

There are lots of things going on in the community during this coronavirus crisis that people do not realise are happening because football clubs did not want the badges on their arm, and felt it is their duty to do it.

Football is so big in the community and the more you go outside of London, football clubs play an even bigger role. It is great football is getting involved where it matters.

You cannot put every player in the same melting pot. There are players outside the Premier League, even some in it, who do not earn that much money.

People live the life depending on what they are earning. Taking away 30 per cent of that money will still affect them. You are used to living with plenty of money.

Football is the biggest sport in this country, so if you want to get a debate going you mention football. The first thing that happened when coronavirus hit was everyone wondering how it would affect football.

It is used to generate debate and get people involved. Everyone has an opinion. 'Void the football, health comes first' keeps being said. It is big business for the country, and has to be addressed.

It did not need [health secretary] Matt Hancock to come out and say what he did. At the end of the day there are even bigger fishes out there that he could have singled out, but they will be people that he does not want to upset.

That is the issue, and what everybody will be questioning is, whether the players are only acting after what Hancock said. What he said forces thinking in people now, as to the timing of this announcement. I am sure there was a lot of things going on which slowed everything down.

Football has to finish, simple, because of the amount of money involved at all levels. It is not about Liverpool winning the league, that is incidental.

To turn around and say it is all gone, they cannot forget all the money those teams have outlayed trying to get promoted from various divisions.

There is too much at stake at all levels of the professional game. It has to finish, do not even consider starting the next one until this is over.

Leeds United have had a horrendous time. They are a huge club and they bring a lot to football. The position they are in now, they cannot have the opportunity to get back to where they belong taken away from them.

This could turn around one of the biggest clubs in the country. Everyone is coming back into this running off the same blocks, and then you go again, and it is down to the individual players about how much they want it.

It is nothing you are ever going to get used to. If I was a player now, I would really struggle. Someone said to me that the players can use their own gym, but to do it off my own back and improvise at home, I would find it impossible.

There are too many distractions, too much on my mind to think about sweating in my own house. If and when football does restart, players will moan about this lack of preparation, but at least they are all in the same position.

Generally people talk about a winter break, and that is what the players are having right now, away from the rigours of day to day training. Treat this as a break, and get back into it when they get back.

The game is full of too many excuses around why things are not going right.