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Brighton faces criticism from Premier League rivals for using NHS-supplied test kits after a third member of the Graham Potter squad tested positive for coronavirus.
Several clubs have avoided testing players until the Premier League’s private system is in place.
That is expected to be approved at Monday’s shareholders’ meeting.
Brighton faces criticism from rivals for using hospital supplies to evaluate its players
Brighton, one of at least six Premier League clubs that have raised objections to the Restart Project, has not violated test protocols, but his willingness to use NHS tests has raised eyebrows.
While Brighton has purchased only a handful of test kits, there is concern about how Premier League clubs using hospital supplies will be perceived and the issue is likely to be debated at Monday’s meeting.
Providing comprehensive testing is one of the keys to ensuring that football can return as planned on June 12.
The Premier League has reached an agreement with Hong Kong-based biotech company Prenetics to offer a £ 4 million program, which will see players evaluated twice a week, with results available within 24 hours.
The new protocols are not expected to apply until players are allowed to train in small groups, which is slated for a week on Monday.
Brighton agrees with its testing procedure, which, despite having resulted in three positive results, has been extremely limited. It is understood that the club obtained a small number of test kits from Brighton and Sussex Hospital before the coronavirus outbreak was classified as a pandemic in March.
The south coast club announced a third positive coronavirus test on its gaming team.
Only four Brighton players have been tested, with three positive and one negative result.
Additionally, the club has loaned the Amex Stadium to the national testing effort, with up to 1,400 tests a day, making them adamant that they are not depleting NHS resources.
Brighton Chief Executive Paul Barber confirmed the positive test on Sunday, which took place on Saturday.
The unidentified player will self-isolate for two weeks, raising questions about what would happen if a player or coach tested positive once the competition resumes. The south coast side also revealed positive tests for players in March and April.
The Premier League is ready to implement new protocols before the return to training
“Despite all the steps we’ve all been taking, when the players haven’t been in any meaningful training at all, we’ve still suffered from another player testing positive for the virus,” Barber said.
‘We want to make sure that the protocols implemented are safe and mitigate the risk as much as possible. One of the things we have asked the Premier League for, and I know they are working very hard to produce, is a complete plan of all the different stages to play again.
‘Players must return in small groups, then get in touch with training, then similar situations, then the match itself. It is very complex, very difficult. “
Brighton’s objections to Project Restart focus on the health of its players and the plan to use neutral locations. The 20 clubs will demand more information on the stadium’s neutral plan on Monday, and vote on proposals to extend the players’ contracts beyond June 30.
Crystal Palace President Steve Parish is backing the clubs to reach a consensus on how to end the season, but warned that football faces a lengthy layoff if problems cannot be overcome.
‘There are no easy answers. We have to work together as a collective and I think in the end we will come to a consensus, “Parish said on The Andrew Marr Show.
Clubs lower on the table, like Brighton, are against Project Restart in neutral places
‘We’d be abandoned in our duty if we didn’t find a way for the game to return. You can try beyond us, we have great challenges to complete the season again, but we are planning to do it.
‘We have the German situation underway and if that succeeds you could provide us with a plan for us.
‘We hope it will be successful. We can clearly see some of the first challenges and they can be insurmountable.
“The concern for us is that if they prove insurmountable, we may have a very, very long period of not being able to play and that has huge ramifications for the game.”
Crystal Palace President Steve Parish supports clubs in reaching consensus on how to end the season
The expected return of football in Germany next weekend has been questioned after second division team Dynamo Dresden was quarantined for 14 days after two players tested positive for coronavirus. His match in Hannover has been postponed.
In Spain, it was revealed that five players tested positive for Covid-19, although LaLiga officials continue with plans to resume.
The league did not name the players who tested positive, nor their clubs.
The Spanish media said that three players were from first division clubs and identified Atlético de Madrid defender Renan Lodi.
Many clubs, including reigning champion Barcelona, have returned to individual training as part of the second leg of the La Liga four-phase protocol to return.
Real Madrid must resume training for the first time in two months on Monday.
The League has said they hope matches can resume, without viewers, by June.
