Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount defied his club’s self-isolation protocols amid the coronavirus outbreak to play football in a London public park along with West Ham’s Declan Rice, sources have told ESPN.
First reported in the Mirror on Monday, England internationals Mount and Rice were seen playing a five-a-side match at the Trent Park Football centre near Barnet on Sunday. ESPN sources described the incident as a casual game between friends.
Cheslea’s players and staff have been instructed to stay in self-isolation after winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for the virus last week.
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Mount and his Chelsea teammates have subsequently been reminded about the club’s self-isolation protocols following the incident, sources told ESPN.
The majority of West Ham players and staff have not been instructed to go into self-isolation, although the east London club said last week that individuals who came into direct contact with opposing manager Mikel Arteta during their clash with Arsenal are self-isolating, after the Spanish boss tested positive for the virus last week.
The Premier League announced last Friday that it has suspended further matches until April 3 following an emergency meeting over the outbreak. Organisers will now hold another meeting with clubs on Thursday to discuss the fate of the remainder of the season, an FA spokesperson told ESPN last week.
The United Kingdom, like most of Europe, has been hit by the coronavirus, reporting 1,400 cases with 35 deaths so far.
Information from Reuters and ESPN’s Tom Hamilton contributed to this report.