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Fulham manager Scott Parker warns it may take time to stop goal celebrations despite tougher Covid protocols

 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Fulham manager Scott Parker has warned it may take time for players to get used to not celebrating goals.

Footballers are being told not to celebrate after Covid-19 protocols were tightened due to the rise in coronavirus cases across the country.

The protocols stress that all “unnecessary contact” needs to be avoided, but players have still been celebrating scoring this week.

Those scenes were witnessed as Sheffield United, Manchester United, Manchester City and Fulham all scored and the Premier League is to meet club managers and captains to discuss adherence to the new Covid-19 protocols, which were released this week.

Parker has insisted those new measures are being relayed to players, however he added it may take time for them to be followed given the emotion and habit involved with celebrating a goal.

“It is definitely something which I think we all need to understand and it is something everyone is trying to address,” said Parker.

“These are habits from every young child that plays football. One thing you want to do is score a goal and what you’ve been used to doing is celebrating.

“A new rule has just come in - as in it is literally just now - that players are obviously reminded that can’t take place.

“I think we all understand the vision of that and rightly so. I suppose it is going to take a little bit of time on that, because [of the] raw emotion and the habit like I said.

“But constantly that message is being relayed to the players. Constantly that messaged will keep being reinforced. The Premier League are doing that as well with us.

“There is no denying there is going to be some hiccups along the way, because you are taking something out of players that has been a habit for a long time.

“But we need to address [that] and we will keep fighting and keep trying to do that.”

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