The Premier League and football at large should not be treated as a "punching bag" for coronavirus frustrations, according to Ian Wright, with the former England striker defending the decision to continue planning for an eventual return to action.
The game has been by and large at a standstill for over a month across Europe, along with virtually all other major sporting competitions around the world, as the globe continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic that continues to rage at large.
With every team in the English top-flight still with at least nine games to play in order to complete the season, clubs held a meeting on Friday as discussion continues over how and when a season resumption would be feasible.
Now, with criticism aimed over the choice to discuss prospective return plans, including finishing the season inside a 40-day window, ex-Arsenal favourite Wright has launched an impassioned defence of the game.
"It seems like football is the punching bag," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Lives come before anything, and the Premier League have always said, and they continue to say, [football will resume] when it’s safe to do so," said the former England international striker.
"When you hear people having a go at football because the Premier League are having meetings, they have to have meetings because at some stage things have to start again. Just because football is a game, it's still a business, just like other businesses are making plans to try and get themselves going again."
Over 15,000 coronavirus related deaths have been officially recorded in the UK so far, almost a tenth of all fatalities worldwide, with the total expected to further climb in the coming weeks.
Football has already been in the crosshairs during the lockdown, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock having come under fire for his attempts to deflect blame onto players during what remains a growing financial quagmire.
Former England skipper Wayne Rooney and Crystal Palace's Andros Townsend were among those who accused the UK government of attempting to scapegoat the profession for their own shortcomings in their response to the crisis.