Tribute Night postponed
We are sorry to say that the Tribute Night planned to honour Pep Guardiola on January 16th has had to be postponed in the light of the current Covid situation. We will look to rearrange the event as soon as is feasibly possible.Below is the note Paul McCarthy, our executive secretary, sent out earlier. FWA Members and others who had paid for tickets and/or tables should contact Paul regarding refunds or rearrangements.
"Dear All,
It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you of our decision to postpone the Tribute Dinner in honour of Pep Guardiola which was scheduled for Sunday January 16.
A combination of factors have led to this decision, primarily the Government's demand for caution in the face of the current Covid spike. The National Committee is hugely uncomfortable at the thought of staging a 500-person event when the transmission and infection rates are so high and show no immediate signs of decreasing. For an FWA event to have the potential to become a 'super spreader' is beyond palatable.
There are also the current restrictions covering football clubs and their managers, players, staff and employees. While there are no in-person press conferences or media access, it would be foolish to expect Pep or anybody at Manchester City to put themselves in a situation which might impact their health and, as a knock-on effect, potentially force the cancellation of matches.
We have held hugely positive talks with City and The Landmark Hotel and our intention is to rearrange the dinner at the earliest possible available date in the calendar. Of course, we are at the whim of fixtures and hotel availability without even mentioning the ongoing health situation, so please bear with us as we attempt to fashion a solution.
Pep has also asked that we pass on his best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year and how he's looking forward to being with us whenever we can find a new date. We thank him for that."