Human Interest

Everton's Premier League match at home to Manchester City on Monday has been called off due to new COVID-19 cases reported at City, the league said in a statement.

City returned a number of positive cases for COVID-19 after confirming four positives last week, including striker Gabriel Jesus and defender Kyle Walker. The Premier League board agreed to rearrange the game as a precaution after City lodged a request following the latest round of testing.

The past 24 hours have been somber and harrowing for Ligue 1 club FC Lorient after one of the team's groundskeepers was killed in a freak accident on Sunday night.

Following Lorient's 3-0 home defeat to Rennes at the Stade du Moustoir, the grounds crew came out to do their post-game duties. One of those jobs includes tending to the field with a grow light. The contraption emulates sunlight, warms the field and keeps the grass healthy.

If you’re looking for a stern reminder of the threat posed by COVID-19 on even the fittest of athletes, look no further than Newcastle United and the lasting effects of an outbreak that initially began with a significant number of positive tests on Nov. 29. 

The day after, Newcastle’s entire first team squad went into self-isolation and a Premier League match against Aston Villa scheduled for Dec. 4 was ultimately postponed. It’s believed that the amount of positive tests ran into double figures.