The Duke of Cambridge warned that society faces mental health “repercussions” from Covid-19, as the FA Cup Final was renamed after his campaign supporting football fans.
William believes the coronavirus outbreak, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and left many people isolated by the lockdown, will cause psychological problems in the future.
His comments were followed by the Football Association’s (FA) announcement that this year’s final would be renamed from the Emirates to the Heads Up FA Cup Final, after the duke’s Heads Up initiative which aims to raise awareness of mental health and encourage football supporters to speak about their problems or support a fellow fan.
In a video call to Arsenal football club head coach Mikel Arteta and some of his staff and players on Tuesday, William said: “I’m really pleased that you guys are all coming back to football soon.
“And, as you can see behind me, I’ve got the FA Cup, it’s going to be named the Heads Up FA Cup – which is great news. So we’re going to really use the final as a moment to promote good, positive mental health for everyone.”
The duke, who is president of the FA and an avid Aston Villa fan, added: “It’s quite timely bearing in mind what we’ve all been through with this pandemic.
“I think there’s going to be, sadly, a lot of repercussions from this in society, not just in football, in terms of people’s mental health. Hopefully the FA Cup can be a bit of a pivot that people can rally around.”
Premier League football is due to return later this month after being suspended because of Covid-19, and the FA Cup Final is provisionally scheduled to take place on August 1.
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