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The Premier League faces the possibility of having to delay its restart of the project after a couple of crucial meetings with players and coaches that sparked a series of robust exchanges and divergent views.
A planned resumption of play for June 12 seems less likely now, and a week later it is possible to start a week after issues over protocols for a safe return to play and concerns about the need for more training.
The players had not had a chance to share their views on the restart plans and at a 20-hour meeting between 20 club captains, Premier League officials and deputy chief medical officer Jonathan van Tam, several of them decided to take off. chest concerns. .
The players expressed concern about security, which the Premier League hopes to address with its return-to-game protocol. Others were concerned that consenting to comply with the protocol could leave them legally exposed if they hired Covid-19, but those fears are believed to have subsided later.
In the group of managers there was a focus on preparing for the restart, but again the protocols were central. Existing arrangements for replaying do not address a safe way to participate in contact training, and without that players cannot get in shape. Some managers are believed to have also asked questions about what to do in the event a player tests positive for Covid-19, and the league has yet to agree on a position on whether the entire team should isolate itself as a result.
Despite the number of opinions and, at times, its strength, the return to training protocol seems ready to be finalized. The government, which issued its own guide on Wednesday for what it called “stage 1” training for elite athletes and was in line with much of what the Premier League has decided, is expected to give its consent this week. The protocols will be presented to the clubs for final approval at a shareholders’ meeting next Monday.
That meeting falls on the day the group training was to be restarted under Plan A of the Restart Project A. The first round of Covid-19 testing for players will have to take place. Results may take two days to return in some cases, delaying training towards the end of the week. Given that managers believe players need four weeks to get in shape, instead of the three previously assigned, a start date of June 19 becomes more logical.
However, protocol is far from the only problem the Premier League will have to tackle, even to reach a delayed start date. First, there is the issue of contact training, with a second stage of protocols yet to be devised. Again, these rules would have to be approved by the government, which appears to be prepared to tackle the problem in its “stage 2” orientation for sports. However, according to new official information, stage 2 “will be completed and will be communicated once the government has agreed to advance to this step.” There is no timeline for when that decision will be made.
After that there will be a problem of where and how to play matches. Although the issue of neutral places is now being reconsidered, it is far from being agreed. The police have started negotiations with the Premier League, but it is understood that neutral places remain a live possibility, as is the reduction of the season.
However, the Premier League received some relief, with the news that all these details don’t need to be resolved before the end of the month. European governing body Uefa had previously insisted that its member leagues reach a conclusion on how to end the season before May 25. That advice has now been relaxed.
“UEFA would like to receive as much information as possible before May 25,” the governing body said in a statement, “but we understand that the detailed plans may not be fully available by then due to a variety of external limitations.”
“However, UEFA would at least expect to receive some indications on the possible path forward planned by national associations and leagues by that date.”
