Inaugural Premier League Hall of Fame Ceremony Cancelled Due to Coronavirus

The Premier League has cancelled its inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Per BBC Sport, the event was scheduled to take place on Thursday in London.  

As announced last month by the Premier League, the first two inductees were set to be confirmed at the ceremony, as well as a shortlist of nominees for future inductees that would then be voted on by fans. 

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters explained the Hall of Fame was being set up to "look back over the years and help us celebrate some truly exceptional playing careers."

For now, the opening of the Hall of Fame is being put on hold, but eventually the first two entrants will be revealed.

Players are required to be retired in order to be eligible for inclusion, and only their Premier League careers will be assessed.

It appears managers will be ineligible for a place, excluding the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

As such, it was widely expected that Alan Shearer and Ryan Giggs would be the first two entrants announced in Thursday's ceremony:

Shearer is the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer with 260—Wayne Rooney is in second with 208.

Meanwhile, Giggs is the most decorated player in the competition's history with 13 titles.

Others likely to be in the running to be early inclusions in the Hall of Fame are Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane, John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

When they are confirmed, players who are inducted will receive a personalised medallion that will have the year of their induction on it.