Former Cobblers striker insists players must have the right to refuse to play

Former Cobblers striker Marvin Sordell insists players must have the right to refuse to play even if football is given the green light to restart over the coming weeks.

The 29-year-old, who made eight appearances for the Cobblers last season before retiring in the summer, was appointed to the FA's Inclusion Advisory Board [IAB] on Friday.

While the Premier League continue to hold discussions over 'Project Restart', Sordell believes players' personal circumstances must be respected if and when the season resumes.

He told the PA news agency: "Every single person has a different situation going on at home.

"Some people will be living on their own and they won't have any responsibilities in that sense, or those fears that they may pass the virus onto somebody else if they contracted it themselves. And that's fine, they'll be eager to play and they don't have to worry about certain things.

"There will be other players who live with their parents, or they are their parents' only means of being able to get food. Their partners might be pregnant or they might have young kids, and some might have underlying health conditions. Some players themselves might have underlying health conditions.

"I think all of those accounts need to be taken in, because you don't need a situation where you're forcing people to go back or they're refusing to do things."

Football's determination to restart the season will hinge on what measures the government set out this week and whether or not lockdown is extended.

Sordell added: "You have to respect people's opinions in this. Many will say they earn a lot of money so they should just go and play. Football isn't more than life or death.

"I think people's own situations need to be respected. If they want to play, and it's safe to do so, then allow them to play. If they don't want to play because they don't think it's safe to do so, I think that needs to be respected."