“The victory over COVID-19 will not be won soon”: Vasilkov about the resumption of the season, the health of football players and empty stands

“You can forget about the full bowls of stadiums”

- The epidemic of coronavirus in Europe is gradually declining. What do you think, when can the football season resume?

- In Europe - earlier than ours. They gradually began to open some institutions: cafes, restaurants, hairdressers. So they really have more and more under control. There, according to my calculations, they will start playing football in the middle - end of May. In Russia, God willing, in the middle, or even at the end of June, since the training of football players will also take time. Everything will go in accelerated mode anyway, there will be no time for buildup. The season must be completed, but whether the players will physically withstand the schedule of matches in two days on the third, and even after a long pause - a big question. I doubt it.

- In this case, the trauma will increase?

- Now there is talk of temporary permission to make five replacements at once. I think this will benefit, because it will be possible to give rest to almost half of the team. I think we will still get out of this difficult situation. We are Russian and can tolerate.

- Isn’t it easier in this case to just end the season?

- We cannot challenge the UEFA decision, and they gave instructions to play it out. And if you put an end to it now, there will remain a feeling of a certain understatement. In this case, the current season will forever go down in history as inferior. Yes, and Zenit will not be the champion to the end.

- But in France and the Netherlands the championships have already stopped. Why did they take such a step there?

- And you just look at the map: how big is Russia and how big is the Netherlands. There the Netherlands is with the little finger, almost all the inhabitants are personally acquainted. That is, the risk of the spread of coronavirus is much higher than in vast Russia. The most paradoxical is that the wave of COVID-19 came to us not from China, but from Europe, therefore, according to the pandemic development schedule, we are behind the Old World for a couple of weeks. Everything has subsided for them, but not for us yet. Plus, huge sizes play a role, because you can’t keep track of everyone. Some do not comply with quarantine rules and arrange kebabs, spreading the infection. So much for self-isolation.

- In late June, the coronavirus will finally leave the country, will there be no risk of infection anymore?

“Not at all.” The last group is isolated and will be treated for 14 days. At this point, it is already quite possible to resume the season, although somewhere in the Far East the coronavirus can still remain active. But the European territory of Russia by that time will practically be freed from COVID-19. Restrictions will gradually begin to be removed, but strict sanitary and hygienic requirements will be introduced: mandatory hand washing, room treatment. Still, you can’t sit at home for six months.

- If the season is resumed at the end of June, will fans be allowed into the stands?

- I think no. Not more than 50-100 people. Full stadium bowls can be forgotten until the fall.

- They say that admitting people to the stands can lead to the second wave of coronavirus. This is true?

- Of course. After all, somewhere the virus will remain. I have already said that it is very dangerous, because we do not hear it, we do not see it and we cannot touch it. If we want to avoid relapse, we are obliged to temporarily prevent fans from going to the stadiums.

- How do you feel about the idea of ​​playing the season in isolation, for example, in several cities in southern Russia?

- I would welcome such a measure. I thought about it at the beginning of the pandemic. For example, you can play in Sochi, Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar. But these cities need to be helped financially, so that they have the opportunity to later restore the fields, which will be under enormous pressure. This will help in the fight against coronavirus, because teams will not have to make such a number of visits with the risk of disease transfer.

“No one knows when it’s possible to put an end to it.”

- In Germany, the season may resume on May 9th. At the same time, rumors appeared that the players there would have to play in masks. How real is it?

“It is simply impossible and unacceptable.” There are a lot of reasons. Firstly, players need active breathing, the mask will interfere. Secondly, football is a contact sport, and players sweat and suffer. And then they still have limited access to oxygen. If it comes to that, it will be like a circus show.

- Is there any danger at all of getting infected on the football field?

- If in the city there are several dozen infected people who will be under control, then the risk is not so great. Football players are experienced people. Everyone will have to undergo ultraviolet radiation, constantly wash their hands, regularly change their underwear. Perhaps they will introduce some special measures, for example, they will distribute napkins saturated with an antiseptic so that players can use them right in the course of the meeting.

- If fans are allowed into the stands, what precautions should they follow?

“They can only be started when the vaccine appears.” Unfortunately, it is not there yet. And the vaccine will appear when we cure the last patient. I repeat, this season will definitely end without spectators. But all the same, summers promise hot, and viruses do not like heat, they spread well in “snotty” wet weather and air temperature four to five degrees above zero.

- When will the final victory over COVID -19 be won ?

- When will the general vaccination of the population be carried out, and this is not soon. After all, besides coronavirus, there are millions of others. Nobody knows when it will be possible to put an end.

“And when will the world return to normal?”

- I think by mid-summer, if we talk about Russia. Suppose I can’t say anything about Asia and Africa, because there are not just bad sanitary and hygienic conditions - they are not! Opening borders? I think everything will work out by the fall, although no one will give 100% guarantees. But I suppose that we’ll fly all the same.

- Your colleague Mikhail Vartapetov said that the regime of self-isolation in Russia should be softened. Do you agree?

- A bold offer. This is the same story about the big and small states. Our conditions do not yet allow to soften the rules of self-isolation. The virus is creeping. As a negative example - Belarus. There is no quarantine - and already 13 thousand sick, although the country is small. And their number will increase every day. I don’t know how it will end there. I think sometime they will see clearly and even stop the football championship. But most likely, they will have to ask for help on their knees. Unfortunately, this is only a matter of time. So I would never treat the virus.

“From the point of view of medicine and morality I would stop football”

- Another important issue in the light of the possible resumption of the season is the condition of the players themselves. Don't you think that they simply lost their shape in a month?

- They will certainly be in disassembled condition, as after a vacation. Probably, some will think that after quarantine they will slip by with five extra kilograms. But most of them treat themselves professionally and will return to training with normal weight. I do not think that one of the highly paid players is now lying on the couch. But at home, to maintain normal shape, of course, is impossible. However, you need to strive, yet they get a lot of money. Therefore, you need to move - at least in the room, at least on the balcony.

- Will there be enough two weeks to get in shape?

- Everything will be in fire mode. During this time, you can’t get in shape, just maintain your tone. Therefore, football at first will not be so dynamic and fast. But everyone will understand everything perfectly. Nowhere to retreat, you need to play.

- Will such a frustration lead to the vulnerability of organisms?

- Unfortunately yes. Viral diseases may also appear. But then, in many RPL clubs, there is a medical unit of seven to eight doctors. You have to do everything on the go. We will adapt to this extraordinary situation.

- If we talk about the health of players, is it more correct to finish the season ahead of schedule?

- If we don’t finish the game, UEFA will just throw us out. And from the point of view of medicine and morality, of course, I would stop this football. A full season could begin in September. But it all comes down to the fact that it’s better to finish the game and get the final table.  

- How can quarantine affect football players psychologically?

- Muscular tissue of football players requires tension, load. After quarantine, they must tear and throw. The desire to move with them will be huge. Believe me, athletes themselves are not happy to sit on the couch.