West Ham rocked by positive Covid-19 tests for manager David Moyes and two players in his starting line-up less than an hour before kick-off against Hull… but the match goes ahead anyway despite infected trio being in the stadium
- David Moyes tested positive for coronavirus in the lead-up to Tuesday’s match
- Issa Diop and Josh Cullen, who were named in starting XI, also tested positive
- All three immediately left the London Stadium and returned home
- The Hammers’ Carabao Cup clash against Hull went ahead as planned at 7:30pm
The Carabao Cup descended into chaos on Tuesday night after David Moyes and two West Ham players tested positive for Covid 19 within an hour of their third-round clash with Hull City – but the game was still allowed to go ahead.
West Ham won 5-1 but the night was dominated by the decision to give the game the green light despite the risk that the virus could pass from Moyes, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen to players and staff at both clubs.
The trio were at the London Stadium and within the match ‘bubble’ when they learnt of their positive tests at 6.15pm, before leaving the ground immediately. Diop and Cullen had both been named in the initial West Ham starting XI when the team lists dropped at 6.30pm, ahead of an update at 6.47pm that they had been replaced by Harrison Ashby and Jack Wilshere.
West Ham manager David Moyes tested positive for coronavirus before Tuesday’s match
Issa Diop (left) and Josh Cullen have also tested positive for the virus and have left the stadium
The EFL confirmed to Sportsmail that the decision to go ahead was made by the two clubs’ medical departments in consultation with two off-site EFL doctors, and that all protocols had been followed. They also pointed to evidence that the risk of transmission between players outdoor is low.
An EFL statement read: ‘The League was made aware of a number of positive test results at West Ham United shortly before tonight’s Carabao Cup tie against Hull City.
‘Those individuals affected are now following the relevant Premier League and Public Health England advice and guidance and we wish them a speedy recovery.
‘That guidance permitted the match to go ahead as planned but not before the two clubs medical teams, in conjunction with the EFL’s medical advisors, agreed all relevant protocols had been followed and both teams were comfortable in continuing.’
Despite the three positive tests, West Ham’s game against Hull went ahead as planned
West Ham assistant manager Alan Irvine took charge of the team following Moyes’ positive test
West Ham confirmed that they offered testing to the Hull City team before the game – an offer which was not accepted.
The situation raised eyebrows on a day when plans for crowds to return to sporting events in October were shelved by the government amid a rise in coronavirus cases. A West Ham statement said Moyes, Diop and Cullen were ‘asymptomatic’ – it is understood their testing was done on Monday – but there will now be doubts over their Premier League clash with Wolves on Sunday. Hull face Northampton in League One on Saturday.
The trio of positives came four months after concerns were raised about the return of football after lockdown by Hull midfielder Josh Magennis. He was in the Hull side on Tuesday night.
‘I am concerned to be honest with you,’ Magennis told BBC Northern Ireland, back in May.
Leyton Orient’s Carabao Cup third-round clash with Tottenham was earlier called off
‘I have asthma, I’ve had it for 10 years, and my youngest son has it. I wouldn’t say it is severe, but it is enough to disrupt what he is doing, especially when he is exercising.
The match was won convincingly by West Ham, who were overseen by assistant manager Alan Irvine in Moyes’s absence.
Robert Snodgrass, playing for the second time since February after injury, opened the scoring on 18 minutes before Sebastien Haller made it 2-0 at the end of the first half. Andriy Yarmolenko, part of a £100m attack in a side featuring 11 changes to the team beaten by Arsenal at weekend, scored the third.
Jack Wilshere impressed for the home side in his first start for a year, but they lost Ashby to a dislocated finger.
Hull striker Josh Magennis started on Tuesday night and has previously voiced his concerns
Hull, who had beaten Sunderland and Leeds in penalty shootouts to reach the third round, pulled a goal back through Mallik Wilks 20 minutes from time. Haller got his second in stoppage time for 4-1 and Yarmolenko scored a fifth. West Ham will play Fleetwood Town or Everton in the fourth round.
A Hull statement read: ‘We are satisfied that West Ham followed all guidelines and protocols upon receiving the positive results and, after consulting with the EFL, were comfortable with the game going ahead.
‘The club will continue to stringently monitor the wellbeing of our players and staff as per Public Health England and EFL guidelines – as we have done since they were put in place – and we wish the West Ham manager and players the very best.’