AFC Mansfield criticise FA thinking over coronavirus

First team manager Matt Chatfield said the FA’s initial response to the pandemic, allowing individual leagues to make their own decisions, was weird.

“It was a strange call in general from the FA, asking each league to decide,” Chatfield said. “It should have been a call to play or not play for English football as a whole – I can’t understand how our game on Saturday was called off but other leagues, like the National League, were still on.”

The NCEL announced the postponement of all league and cup fixtures on Friday evening, less than 24 hours ahead of AFC’s Premier Division trip to Penistone.

The FA then made the decision on Monday to halt all grassroots football in England, a move which Bulls Chairman Andrew Saunders thought should have come sooner.

“It was somewhat surprising that the FA made the decision not to immediately postpone non-league and grassroots football and to leave it to individual leagues to postpone games,” he said, whilst also fearing the future impact of the pandemic on local football.

“The postponement of fixtures will have a huge knock-on effect with lots of non-league and grassroots clubs.

“I would be surprised if the 2019/20 gets back under way and it will not come as a surprise to me if the season at this level is aborted.”