The coronavirus crisis could see Premier League stars join those in Spain and Italy in calling for football to be suspended after the deputy chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association warned: “Players don’t want to play in empty stadiums.”

Bobby Barnes, who is also president of the European division of FifPro, told Telegraph Sport some footballers in England and elsewhere feared catching the infection if forced to play games behind closed doors due to the severity of the outbreak.

He said the PFA had yet to formulate its position on whether it would join its Spanish and Italian counterparts in opposing such a move, but vowed it would do so before any such decision was announced by English football’s governing bodies.

Barnes said: “Players don’t want to play in empty stadiums. Equally, I think there is a pressure, if you like, for the fixtures to take place.”

Asked if his members’ views were driven by health concerns or simply the lack of atmosphere in an empty ground, Barnes confirmed players both in England and abroad were afraid of catching the disease.

He said: “There have been concerns about elderly relatives voiced. There have been concerns about potential cross-contamination. There are lots of issues that are on the table at the moment.”

The Spanish and Italian players’ unions were both quick to declare opposition to behind-closed-doors games after the authorities there announced they would take place. Serie A was subsequently suspended until next month amid the threat of a strike, while La Liga could also be postponed, with Barnes saying players there were “adamant” they did not want to play.

He added: “This is an issue that goes far beyond football. This is a crisis, effectively, that is affecting the health of all. I think that has to be the priority. Football’s important but it’s not as important as public health.”