Condemnatory letter puts season in new doubt amid West Brom and Leeds United promotion



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Doctors from all 20 Premier League clubs have reportedly signed a letter to emphasize concerns about the restart.

The Premier League and EFL have been suspended for almost two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, which still results in hundreds of lives lost daily in the UK.

Discussions have been held about a possible restart and players are expected to re-train this month before the season restarts in June.

That was despite the fact that several clubs expressed concern for the well-being of the players at the most recent meeting on Friday.

West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United, both clear at the top of the Championship and on the way to promotion, are watching the situation closely.

However, this latest revelation, as reported by The Athletic, adds new doubts about whether the season can end safely.

Doctors have allegedly written a detailed letter to league medical adviser Mark Gillett and football director Richard Garlick, outlining more than 100 questions that must be answered before football can restart, behind closed doors or not.

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The letter is divided into the following parts:

  • Approve guidelines that still carry a risk of death
  • Liability, insurance and testing for players, staff and their families.
  • Possible transmission through sweat and goalkeeper gloves.
  • Suspicions that some clubs are already ignoring the guidelines
  • Increased risk for black, Asian, and ethnic minority groups (BAME)
  • Ability of emergency services to handle training incidents on the ground
  • Doctors were invited to submit their points anonymously to the Premier League Group of Doctors (PLDG) on Sunday and these were collected before being sent to Gillett and Garlick on Monday.

While experts say the risk for young people is not as great as that for those over 70, there are still thousands of examples of people in perfect health being attacked by the coronavirus.

The report adds: “A 23-year-old midfielder at the French Montpellier club – Junior Sambia, who was hospitalized with coronavirus – is given as an example of the condition that is not limited to the elderly and people with comorbidities.”

The letter also highlights the mental health of the players, some of whom have already revealed their fear of having to play the season.

You can see more details here on The Athletic website (subscription only).



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