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The resumption of the Premier League campaign remains uncertain, with ongoing talks between clubs, players, medical experts and senior officials.
Premier League clubs will make their last emergency conference call on ‘Project Restart’ on Monday. Sky Sports News chief reporter Bryan Swanson answers the key questions …
Is the return to training close?
Yes, but clubs must accept Premier League protocols.
A vote will be required during the first phase of the training (small groups with social distancing) and nothing more advanced.
At least 14 clubs must approve these new measures.
If most clubs agree to Monday’s conference call, players can return to a sterile, contactless environment later in the week. Importantly, this is the first phase of training and nothing more than that.
This week the return to training has been debated, on a socially distant basis, between club captains, managers, the Association of Professional Soccer Players. [PFA] and the Association of League Managers [LMA], and some older players have raised concerns.
1:10 England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam informed the government how they will decide on the return of elite sport.
Clubs had to conduct an occupational health risk assessment focused on COVID-19 before Friday [May 15], record your results and make them available to the Premier League upon request.
In a draft document seen by Sky Sports NewsEach club must ensure that, before any player or staff attends training camp, they have provided written confirmation that they have received the terms of the club’s Covid-19 operating policy.
What is the biggest unsolved problem about training?
No one can say yet when players in England can get in touch with other players and by default that will delay the restart of games.
Contact is key to everything.
The Premier League has said it welcomes all questions, concerns and comments. But who will give the green light to physical contact and alleviate players’ concerns? How is contact defined, in terms of risk? What about players with underlying health issues? What about the impact of a series of positive tests on the clubs?
Nothing in life is completely risk-free, but there are understandable concerns about a virus that has killed more than 300,000 people worldwide, according to data provided by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The government is ‘opening the door’ for competitive football to return safely to England in June, but medical experts remain cautious.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer in England, said it would depend on a return to contactless training.
“We will have to see how that goes before it is time to move on, or even think about the return of competitive football matches,” he said. “We have to be slow; we have to be measured.”
1:17 Watford captain Troy Deeney and West Ham captain Mark Noble have expressed concern over the ‘restart of the project’ in the Premier League.
What about UEFA’s ‘deadline’ of May 25?
Major leagues in Europe, including the Premier League, have been asked to provide UEFA with an update by May 25, including a proposed date to resume and format.
The date is significant with two days to go before a key UEFA Executive Committee meeting and an early decision on the remaining games in the Champions League and Europa League this season.
UEFA seemed comfortable with the idea of imposing a deadline last month, to sharpen minds, but governments across Europe have since issued various closing rules, which have had a considerable impact on national competitions.
The governing body of European football has always been sympathetic to leagues that cannot provide a return date, if governments cannot provide clarity on when it is safe to do so, and will not want to punish any team that remains in their competition, due to Circumstances cannot control.
This season, seven British clubs remain in Europe: Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Wolves and Rangers, and will oversee all decisions made by UEFA’s top managers, including former Manchester United chief executive, David Gill.
Will the ‘deadline’ be formally extended on May 27? It seems inevitable, but no one can say for how long.
0:40 Norwich captain Grant Hanley says there are so many questions that still need to be answered before returning to Premier League football.
What about neutral places?
“One step at a time,” a senior soccer official told Sky Sports News, feeling frustrated that the focus is already too far in the future.
All Premier League clubs would prefer to play their matches at home and away.
“It is clear that some clubs feel firmer than others,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters. “It is an ongoing dialogue. No one says we will not play unless certain conditions are met.”
The Premier League has had ‘positive’ conversations with authorities this week, including the police, about a ‘reasonable restart’ of the season.
“We will jointly explore a variety of options to identify a way forward,” said Deputy Police Chief Mark Roberts, chief of football policing for the National Police Chiefs Council.
But Roberts emphasized that the most practical option should minimize “any risk to public safety and unnecessary pressure on public services … to support the economic and moral benefits associated with sport.”
In short, a final decision has yet to be made.
Could the season, declared ‘null and void’ still be canceled?
The Premier League has used the word ‘shortened’, which will be an important word approved by its lawyers.
The “reduction” was first discussed during their last conference call, but only to discuss a “what if” series.
In any crisis management, all contingency plans are expected to be discussed, but it remains the desire of the 20 clubs to end the season.
Is there pressure on soccer to return?
Everyone in the game continues to emphasize that the safety of all participants remains the number one priority.
Clearly, the Premier League has been monitoring developments with the Bundesliga in Germany.
Football finance, in some clubs, is in a precarious situation and Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has emphasized the need for ‘combined goodwill’ in English football.
The government is well aware that football contributes significantly to the UK economy.
HMRC receives more than £ 3 billion a season from Premier League clubs in taxes, including more than £ 1 billion from player salaries.
Richard Masters told MPs that Premier League clubs are losing revenue at an “unprecedented level”, saying the competition faces a loss of at least £ 1 billion if they don’t complete this season.
He also warned that large losses must be “dealt with” or that clubs and other companies that rely on football for income “will close.”
EFL President Rick Parry told MPs that his clubs face a £ 200 million financial hole by September.
These are unpredictable and anxious times for everyone.
We are still unclear on exactly when soccer will restart, but the goal remains in June.
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