This archive report was first published on 24 May 2020.
Watford defender Christian Kabasele has been at the center of a controversy after a tongue-in-cheek response to an accusation from a Sheffield United fan that he and his teammates are trying to avoid returning to action in order to save themselves from relegation.
The Hornets are currently without six players after Adrian Mariappa tested positive for Covid-19, with two others self-isolating and three, including Troy Deeney, opting not to return to training.
On Twitter, a Blades supporter accused Watford of behaving 'despicably' and employing 'ridiculously transparent' tactics to avoid relegation.
However, Kabasele responded in a sarcastic manner, saying: 'So let me explain our tactic: we are doing one injection of Covid-19 once a week. We draw the player/membre of staff who get it like this we are sure that we never play again and avoid relegation.'
With the Premier League's Project Restart still in phase one, it remains to be seen exactly if and when the division will be able to return, with suggestions the action could get back underway as soon as June 12.
However, Kabasele is not convinced this would be possible, and speaking recently on the Counter Attack podcast, he urged for caution from the powers that be.
He said: 'Nothing has been confirmed yet. Personally I follow the news through the media because nothing has been official for the moment. We see speak about June 12. I think it is impossible because it would be less than three weeks training after a long period without doing anything, it’s a risk for us.'
On May 23, 2020, Kabasele took to Twitter to share his sarcastic response, which included an emoji of a person covering their face with their hand.
