The striker does not want to return to small-group training believing the risk from coronavirus is too high
This week Troy Deeney explained why he would not be returning to small-group training. He was concerned, he said, that black people are four times more likely to die from Covid-19 in the UK than the national average, and he needed to protect his five-month-old son, who has had breathing difficulties. “It only takes one person to get infected within the group, and I don’t want to be bringing that home,” he said.
His concerns were understandable, but at the time he seemed to be being perhaps a little overcautious. The number of excess deaths among BAME communities has not been fully explained, but people from ethnic minorities are overrepresented in many high-risk groups, such as those employed in critical industries including health, transport and essential retail businesses, those living in areas of high depravation and in overcrowded homes, and those with certain relevant underlying health conditions. People from BAME backgrounds are more likely than average to be in poorly paid jobs, to be unable to work from home, and so to be forced for financial reasons to put themselves at risk of infection, or to be living with someone who is.
Related: Troy Deeney and several Watford teammates stay away from training
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