Manchester City players celebrate after scoring their opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Jan 13, 2021. (LAURENCE GRIFFITHS / POOL VIA AP)

LONDON - Chelsea manager Frank Lampard defended his players on Thursday amid a growing debate about teams celebrating goals with hugs and high-fives while the country is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer has urged players to stop such physical contact and a senior politician suggested on Thursday yellow cards should be brandished for hugging.

The Premier League was holding virtual meetings to reinforce the message that protocols must be respected, but Lampard echoed other top flight managers in suggesting that was easier said than done.

“Football has and always will be a game of instinct. If we want to take the instinct out of the game then it is not that simple,” he told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game at Fulham.

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“The players are good lads and they don’t want to do the wrong thing.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said it was “weird and uncomfortable” if nobody celebrated with the scorer

“In a perfect world we will all walk back to the halfway line and just start again. But it maybe will not quite be the case, and I do not think you can hold players hugely to account unless there is clear flouting of those rules.”

Julian Knight, the chair of the cross-party Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, told Reuters earlier that hugging sent the wrong message at a time of national emergency with many people having to self-isolate.

“In the same way as referees issue yellow cards for players taking off their shirts (for unsporting behaviour), they could do the same thing with this,” said Knight.

“Surely its unsportsmanlike to risk someone getting COVID, isn’t it?”

Premier League guidelines for on-field behaviour state that “unnecessary contact, particularly between opposition teams, must be avoided. This includes handshakes, high-fives and hugging”.

Media reports have highlighted examples at recent matches, with Manchester City in the spotlight after eight players held a group hug when Phil Foden scored in Wednesday’s 1-0 Premier League win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Teams celebrating

Video also emerged of teams celebrating in dressing rooms following FA Cup third-round matches.

The Daily Telegraph quoted DCMS committee member Clive Efford as saying such celebrations were an “insult to the staff in the NHS (national health service)”.

The Football Association, Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League saidthey have introduced enhanced COVID-19 measures to curb the spread of the virus

City manager Pep Guardiola said it was “weird and uncomfortable” if nobody celebrated with the scorer.

“We are tested maybe five or six times in the last 10 days. Everyone is negative. We are outdoors where the virus is less aggressive. We will follow what the Premier League says but I don’t know if we will be able to do it,” he added.

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The Football Association, Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and Women’s Super League said later on Thursday they have introduced enhanced COVID-19 measures to curb the spread of the virus.

The bodies urged clubs to do their bit to ensure the season can be completed after outbreaks at several clubs forced a number of matches to be called off.

“Safety is a collective effort and football requires the ongoing support of club s... to continue to manage the spread of infection and set the right example to the public on and off the pitch,” they said in a joint statement.

“Our three organisations have confidence in our COVID-19 protocols and our ability to bring the season to a successful conclusion.”