Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Champions League tie linked to 41 coronavirus deaths: Report

The second leg the Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Champions League Round of 16 clash was played at Anfield in March. The match was played amidst the coronavirus pandemic that was in its initial stages in Europe, especially in Italy and Spain. UEFA gave the green light for the match to be played in a packed Anfield stadium. Defending champions Liverpool went on to lose the match 2-4 on aggregate on home soil and were subsequently knocked out of the Champions League. However, the damage on the pitch was nothing as compared to the damage dealt off it as recent reports have linked more than 41 COVID-19 related deaths to that Champions League encounter on Merseyside.

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Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid linked to 41 coronavirus UK deaths

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An analysis of NHS data concluded that the Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Champions League clash led to 41 COVID-19 deaths across the UK. In addition to that, the Cheltenham Festival - which controversially went ahead on March 10 - was linked to 37 additional deaths. Around 54,000 supporters were in attendance on March 11, 2020, including 3,000 travelling Atletico Madrid fans. During that period, Spain had already introduced lockdown measures as cases began to pile up. Reports in the Sunday Times by Edge Heath, a group that analyses NHS figures through data-modelling, published a study that indicated the Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Champions League clash led to 41 additional deaths in the 25 to 35 days following the game.

Spain and England are among the European countries that recorded the highest numbers during the pandemic. Spain has registered more than 163,000 positive coronavirus cases in the last two months with a death count of over 28,000. Meanwhile, England has registered more than 36,000 COVID-19 positive cases. However, Premier League officials are aiming to resume the ongoing season with Project Restart aiming to resume top-flight football in England by mid-June. While a majority of the Premier League players have agreed to return to training, few players like Troy Deeney and N'Golo Kante have refused to re-join their squads ahead of a potential return to Premier League action.

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Coronavirus UK deaths cross the 36,000-mark

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