Jamie Carragher

With the outbreak of COVID-19 rapidly spreading across the globe, it has resulted in the postponement of competitions worldwide as governments attempt to combat the pandemic.

A small number of events still went ahead, but sports stars, teams and indeed supporters were otherwise left to find other means of entertainment.

With the number of confirmed cases worldwide now totalling over 155,000, we round up all the latest news and updates.

Germany's prestige friendly with Italylater this month became the latest football fixture to bite the dust, with the majority of upcoming international matches having now been wiped out.

More major organisations have halted all footballing activities until a later date, including Qatar, Moroccoand Egypt.

A small number of competitions, most notably the A-League, Russian Premier League and Mexico's Liga MX, did manage to go ahead as planned.

Indeed, NRL games also avoided the cut, as did a handful of Super Rugby matches before an indefinite ban was put in place later in the day.

Another competition to fall was Australia's one-day international series against New Zealand, which was already being played behind closed doors.

With New Zealand's government introducing strict protocols to attempt to slow the spread of the virus, the Black Caps – along with Super Rugby side Highlanders – returned home from Australia and Argentina respectively in order to beat the new restrictions, which will mean any new arrival to the country, even if they are a citizen, has to self-isolate for 14 days.

With the top-four tiers of English football being shelved until at least early April, there was plenty of focus on the National League as six games were given the green light.

There was some controversy in Argentina as River Plate's Copa Superligaclash with Atletico Tucuman was suspended after the home side refused to open their stadium.

Independiente's tie with Velez Sarsfield was played out in full, albeit behind closed doors, with the hosts claiming a 1-0 victory.

In Italy, Napoliurged their supporters to sing from their balconies in unison as Fiorentina's Patrick Cutrone and two more Sampdoriaplayers tested positive for COVID-19.

Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy revealed a negative test result after recently self-isolating, but Carlo Ancelottiand Angelo Ogbonna questioned the Premier League's handling of the outbreak, while Jordan Pickford denied reports he is self-isolating.

West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady, meanwhile, claimed the competition should be "void" – a suggestion Liverpoollegend Jamie Carragher quickly dismissed.

The lack of football did not stop certain clubs from keeping supporters entertained, though, with LaLiga side Leganes posting live updates of a fictitious match against Real Valladolid, which they won 2-1.

Perhaps inspired by their Spanish counterparts, Southamptongot Manchester City involved in an online game of noughts and crosses to help fill the void.

The downtime also gave football stars a chance to recuperate, with Sergio Ramos and Alexis Sanchez among those to post images of their extra-curricular activities.

Others, such as Liverpoolgoalkeeper Alisson and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, opted to use social media to educate their followers on how to properly wash their hands, while Barcelonasuperstar Lionel Messi used his profile to echo the sentiments of Cristiano Ronaldo in calling for people to follow the guidance of health organisations.

As Ronaldo and Jurgen Klopp were praised by the World Health Organisation for "protecting people from coronavirus", former United States president Barack Obama hailed a host of NBA stars – including Giannis Antetokounmpoand Zion Williamson – for donating large amounts to help support arena staff during the league's hiatus.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor labelled the pandemic "a stupid f****** virus", but later moved to clarify his aunt did not die after contracting the disease after previously suggesting as such.

And in more positive news, Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe revealed his country still plan for the 2020 Olympic Games to go ahead in Tokyo, starting in late July.

The International Olympic Committee will have the final say, but ABE is confident the Games will be staged "without problem".

With the coronavirus pandemic causing a prolonged hiatus for football, Liverpool announced their intention to furlough non-playing staff on Saturday.

Members of the workforce that are affected can claim 80 per cent of their wages – up to £2,500 a month – from the United Kingdom government, though Liverpool will top up any shortfall in their pay.

Liverpool became the fifth Premier League club to announce the measures, with all of them attracting criticism as detractors feel profit-making businesses owned by wealthy individuals or groups should not be receiving assistance from the British taxpayer to cover wage costs.

Hamann's former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher slammed the club, claiming the move will have lost them "respect and goodwill", and now the German has hit out.

"Astonished by the news that @LFC takes advantage of the furlough scheme to claim 80 per cent of non-playing staff wages back off the government," he wrote on his official Twitter account.

"That's not what the scheme was designed for. Contrary to the morals and values of the club I got to know."

Liverpool had previously received praise for Jurgen Klopp's displays of compassion at the start of the pandemic, while Jordan Henderson is reportedly spearheading an attempt from Premier League players to raise funds for the National Health Service.

But Saturday's news has attracted widespread scorn, with it coming less than six weeks after the club announced pre-tax profits of £42million for the year ending May 2019.

Top-flight clubs are due to meet next week to discuss potential next steps following Friday's announcement that no games will be played until at least April 3.

Writing in her column for The Sun, Brady claimed abandoning the Premier League two months early would be the fairest thing to do, meaning Liverpool missing out on the title.

Runaway leaders Liverpool lead Manchester City by 25 points but boss Jurgen Klopp said he accepted the decision to suspend all matches as the COVID-19 death toll rises.

TV presenter Piers Morgan expressed his support for Brady's comments on Twitter, but former Liverpool defender Carragher took a different view when responding to the message.

"Have a look at Klopp's comments compared to Karren Brady's," he said, accompanied by a facepalm emoji. 

"What's fair is to finish the season for teams in every league when the football is allowed to start again. 

"The football authorities found a way to put a World Cup in the middle of a season so I’m sure they can sort next season out."

Brady's comments come with West Ham languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, level on points with Watford in 17th and Bournemouth in 18th.

Members of the workforce that are affected can claim 80 per cent of their wages – up to £2,500 a month – from the United Kingdom government, though Liverpool will top up any shortfall in their pay.

The Reds announced these measures on Saturday, with Tottenham, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Bournemouth all previously taking advantage of the government scheme.

Other clubs have been criticised for furloughing non-playing staff, with detractors suggesting clubs owned by wealthy individuals or companies should not be getting assistance from the British taxpayer to cover wage costs.

In Carragher's opinion, Liverpool's decision has seen them lose much of the respect Jurgen Klopp and players had earned the club for their behaviour and attitudes earlier in the crisis, with Jordan Henderson reportedly spearheading an attempt from Premier League players to raise funds for the National Health Service.

Writing on his official Twitter account, Carragher said: "Jurgen Klopp showed compassion for all at the start of this pandemic, senior players heavily involved in Premier League players taking wage cuts.

"Then all that respect and goodwill is lost, poor this @LFC."

The Premier League announced on Friday it will not resume action in early May as had previously been planned.

The Premier League club confirmed on Monday that a 12.5 per cent overall reduction in wages had been agreed by the first-team squad, along with head coach Mikel Arteta and his staff, in a move aimed at mitigating the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, widespread reports later emerged suggesting Ozil was one of a trio of Gunners stars to reject the proposal.

Ozil is the club's highest-paid player and Carragher believes the 31-year-old has scored "a huge PR own goal".

"The fact the highest-paid player and possibly the biggest name at Arsenal has not gone with the rest of his team-mates and stuck together [is bad]," Carragher told The Football Show on Sky Sports News.

"Even if I was in Ozil's position and I did not agree with that, I think the fact the rest of the team, your manager and people at the club have decided to be as one and make this decision, you have to go with it as a team.

"Football is a team game, it's not an individual sport, and for someone like Ozil in that situation I think he's got to go with what the rest of the players are doing. It's a massive PR own goal.

"I'm not going to have a go at Mesut Ozil for the wages he's earned. If you want to have a go at Mesut Ozil for the wages he's got, blame the people who gave him the contract. We're all in every walk of life trying to earn as much money as we possibly can.

"But when a situation like this comes in and you're together as a team in a dressing room, I think the highest-paid member and the biggest name in that dressing room should be the one who almost sets the example really."

Ozil has previously been heavily involved in charitable work.

Upon marrying his wife Amine he promised to pay for 1,000 children to have life-changing surgery, while he also donated food to 100,000 homeless people across Turkey and Syria.

The former Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and France manager passed away after recently undergoing heart surgery.

Houllier was an assistant with Les Bleus before taking the top job in 1992 and left the post the following year after failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

The French Football Federation tweeted: "The @FFF would like to express its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Gerard Houllier, former coach of the French national team and DTN (National Technical Director), who passed away at the age of 73."

He is perhaps best remembered for his spell in charge of Liverpool, having steered the club to five trophies - including an FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup treble in the 2000-01 season.

Owen was leading scorer for Liverpool during that hugely successful campaign, one that climaxed with Houllier's side sealing third place in the English top flight and thereby qualifying for the Champions League.

"Absolutely heartbroken to hear that my old boss, Gerard Houllier, has sadly passed away. A great manager and a genuinely caring man," the former England international wrote on Twitter.

Carragher was also a regular in 2000-01, having come through into the first team under the Frenchman's guidance.

The one-club man - who sits second on the all-time list of appearances for Liverpool - thanked Houllier for the impact he had on his career, revealing they had only recently spoken to each other with regards a visit to the city again.

"Absolutely devastated by the news about Gerard Houllier, I was in touch with him only last month to arrange him coming to Liverpool," Carragher tweeted.

"Loved that man to bits, he changed me as a person and as a player and got Liverpool back winning trophies."

Hamann, who was signed by Houllier, used Instagram to share his condolences following the news, posting a picture of his old boss holding the UEFA Cup trophy in the aftermath of the stunning 5-4 victory over Deportivo Alaves in Dortmund.

"Devastated to hear the news that our former manager Gerard Houllier passed away. Great manager and an even better man. You'll never walk alone Gerard," Hamann wrote.

Sami Hyypia, another key signing during Houllier's successful spell on Merseyside, fondly remembered "an absolute gentleman", who had an impact not just on his career on the pitch.

"Sad to hear Gerard Houllier passed away. Football world has lost an absolute gentleman and lover of the sport today! The man, who had faith in me to bring me to Liverpool and gave me confidence to become who I am right now, is no longer with us. Lot of strength to his family," the former Finland defender - who spent over a decade at Liverpool - posted on Instagram.

Liverpool legend Ian Rush tweeted Houllier was a "true gentleman of the game" who "always put others first", while England legend Gary Lineker described him as "one of the smartest, warmest and loveliest people".

Houllier left Liverpool in 2004, replaced by Rafa Benitez, and went on to manage Lyon and Aston Villa, where the Frenchman stepped down by mutual consent due to health issues after a solitary season in charge.

"All at Aston Villa are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gerard Houllier, our manager during the 2010/11 season," Villa said on Twitter, along with a picture of Houllier during his time in charge. "Our thoughts are with Gerard's loved ones at this incredibly difficult time."

Houllier also worked with FIFA, providing "invaluable input" while serving on the organisation's technical committee.

FIFA posted: "We are saddened to learn of the passing of Gerard Houllier. Besides his outstanding work with the likes of Liverpool, Lyon and France's national team, Gerard provided invaluable input to FIFA's technical study group."

Pressure is building on Tottenham coach Antonio Conte after a desperate run that has ended their hopes of winning silverware this season.

After back-to-back Premier League victories lifted Spurs into the top four, they crashed out of the FA Cup at Sheffield United, lost at Wolves in the league and then exited the Champions League following a dismal goalless draw against Milan.

With Conte's contract up at the end of the season, it appears likely the former Juventus, Chelsea and Inter boss will soon be departing Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Pochettino, who spent five years at the club, would be a popular appointment for many fans, and he remains out of work after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

But Liverpool legend Carragher sees concerning parallels with Keegan's 2008 homecoming at Newcastle, where he soon left following a dispute with owner Mike Ashley.

"Never go back. That is what they say in football," Carragher wrote in The Telegraph.

"Mauricio Pochettino would be wise to remember that if he is tempted to return to Tottenham Hotspur.

"Don't do it, Poch. All parties need to move on. Comebacks are usually more romantic than logical.

"Pochettino may see Spurs as the best chance to return to the Premier League. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy could curry favour with the supporters by re-appointing a popular ex-manager.

"They must know how rarely old magic is recreated in football."

While noting Carlo Ancelotti has enjoyed a successful second spell at Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho won the title after rejoining Chelsea, Carragher added: "Pochettino returning to Spurs would be like Kevin Keegan going back to Newcastle United.

"Like Keegan's Newcastle in the mid-90s, Pochettino's Tottenham charmed neutrals without winning trophies.

"Keegan's re-appointment in 2008 was greeted like the second coming, but he walked into different conditions and was gone eight months later."

Tottenham finished second under Pochettino in 2016-17, their best performance since the 1960s, and also came third twice.

He was unable to end their wait for silverware, however, losing in the Champions League final in 2019 and EFL Cup final in 2015.

Sarina Wiegman's magnificent Lionesses cruised to a 4-0 semi-final win over Sweden – the tournament's top-ranked team – at Bramall Lane on Tuesday, reaching their first Women's Euros final since 2009.

That victory represented the largest ever recorded in the last four of a Women's Euros, while England have now scored a remarkable 104 goals in 19 outings under Wiegman.

England will have to defeat either Germany or France – who meet in Milton Keynes on Wednesday – to end 56 years of major tournament hurt on Sunday, with the Lionesses having lost European finals in both 1984 and 2009.

As the side prepare for a trip to Wembley, the ground on which Gareth Southgate's Three Lions suffered Euro 2020 final heartache last year against Italy, former England international Carragher expressed his confidence they would go on to lift the trophy.

Asked by Sky Sports whether he believed the Lionesses were set for glory, Carragher said: "Finally, it's coming home, yes, after so long. 

"We've built it up so often in major tournaments, we've come pretty close, [such as] with Gareth and the boys a year or so ago.

"I think it's finally coming home, we'll be able to sing that song hopefully on Sunday night with a trophy in our arms."

Wiegman, a Euro 2017 champion with the Netherlands, became the first coach to guide two different nations to a Women's European Championship final with the victory over Sweden, and Carragher recognised her nous as a key reason for the Lionesses' success.

"We've got a top coach who belongs at this level and has done this before, so that will give great confidence to the squad going into the game," the former defender continued.

"Obviously we've got home advantage as well, sometimes that can go for you or go against you, as long as the pressure doesn't become too big.

"But I think how the England team have coped with home advantage – they've maximised it in this tournament. 

"The fact we've got a serial winner in the coach on the sidelines should give us huge confidence."