PFA Will Help 25 Percent Of English Football League Players Who Are Reluctant To Be Vaccinated Make The Right Choice According To Science

Illustration of the English Football League (Twitter @dcfc)

JAKARTA - The Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Maheta Molango understands that some players are still "worried" about being vaccinated against COVID-19, but the association will try to help them make the "right choices".

The English Football League said last week that 25 per cent of its players from 72 clubs had no intention of being vaccinated, even as the outbreak forced games to be postponed for the entire division.

The Premier League, which is also experiencing game delays due to the virus, said 92 per cent of players and club staff had received one, two or three doses, with 84 per cent of players still on the 'vaccination journey'.

The Premier League said on Monday there had been a record 90 new cases of COVID-19 among players and staff in the past week.

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston urged football players to "overcome their reluctance" to get a COVID-19 vaccine because it is their social responsibility.

Molango told the BBC the PFA supported vaccination, but he also added it was "only one piece of the puzzle."

"We have to be careful with situation assessments that are too simplistic," Molango said as quoted by Antara, Thursday.

"We try to help players make the right choices based on science. They need to listen to the experts but at the same time, we also have to admit that certain people may still have legitimate concerns."

Ten Premier League games were forced to be postponed this month due to the outbreak but the club have agreed to return to fixtures following a busy period.