Sunderland had a decision to make ahead of their home game against AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night.
With one player having tested positive for Covid-19 and a further seven 'close contacts' self-isolating - two of them displaying symptoms - they had tried and failed to gain clarity from the EFL over what the sanctions would be were they to call off the fixture.
That is wrong, there should be more clear guidance from the EFL as to what constitutes the trigger point for postponement. Goodness, they've only had nine months to work on that.
But, without it, the decision was left to Sunderland. The EFL told them they could postpone, and neither party disputes this. As is standard, the EFL also informed Sunderland they would then investigate the situation.
So why, then, did the club not take the decision to protect the health of their players and staff, as well as those of AFC Wimbledon? Even Black Cats boss Lee Johnson emerged after the 1-1 draw to say it was 'dangerous' to play the game.
Quite simply, it would appear, Sunderland's hierarchy weighed up the fear of a points deduction versus the health of those involved. They decided the points were more important.
Surely the club must postpone the game and deal with the fallout afterwards? For beyond the threat of a killer virus, everything else is of secondary importance. Not so at the Stadium of Light, it would seem.
And, if the Covid outbreak was genuine and Sunderland had nothing to hide, the EFL would be extremely unlikely to impose a points deduction or financial penalty when the club had acted in the best interests of people's health.
Remember, no other EFL club who have postponed games because of Covid-19 have been sanctioned in this way.
Yes, Sunderland were put in a difficult position by the EFL and the decision to postpone should have been taken by the League.
But, when it is not, the club must do what is right by the welfare of everyone involved. Do that and you would not find a soul in the land criticising you.
As it is, the club appearing to prioritise points over the pandemic has left them open to more scrutiny than any EFL probe into a postponement would have done.
Sunderland can only hope the spread of the virus is contained and the decision to play the game does not have consequences beyond their precious points tally.