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This is “an important week for the future of soccer in this country,” according to the latest Sky Sports podcast.
In an in-depth preview, Sky Sports News chief reporter Bryan Swanson and journalist Kaveh Solhekol explain where the Restart Project is, the plan to resume soccer in England, what must happen before soccer can return and the obstacles still to be overcome.
Read on for an edited version of their explainer, or listen to their full review on a special Sky Sports Football podcast below.
Download the Sky Sports Football podcast at: Spotify | Apple | Castbox | Spreaker
Why is it an important week for Project Restart?
Bryan Swanson: This is an important week for the future of soccer in this country. We are going to learn in detail about how the UK intends to get out of these restrictions whenever possible. Boris Johnson has said that the government will publish a comprehensive plan, with all the details expected on Sunday.
According to medical experts, the pandemic has peaked in the UK, but we know there will be no quick way back. Premier League clubs remain committed to ending this season. That position has not changed since English football was suspended on Friday, March 13. First, the league was suspended until April 4, then April 30, then indefinitely, a sign of how unpredictable the past seven weeks have been.
The Premier League will be guided by what the government says and that should give us the answer to how the game can return.
Bryan Swanson
The problem is that football has no control over this situation. Everyone is extremely aware that this is a desperately sad situation. More than 28,000 people have lost their lives in the UK with coronaviruses. Family and friends have lost loved ones, and as much as we all love sports and soccer, we all know it doesn’t matter compared to public health.
But planning for the future is still important and that’s where the Premier League, in particular, will be guided by what the government says and that should give us the answer on how the game can return. There will be a new meeting planned after the government’s announcement, and then the clubs will meet again on Monday, May 18.
What would a Premier League return be like?
0:59 Sky Sports News chief reporter Bryan Swanson and journalist Kaveh Solhekol anticipate a key week for football as the government announces its latest plans for the coronavirus pandemic
Kaveh Solhekol: Not all 20 stadiums would be used. They are looking to use eight to 10 neutral locations. This is quite controversial because some of the clubs, especially the clubs near the bottom of the Premier League, are not in favor of using neutral spots because obviously in those games they would be losing the home advantage.
We don’t know what land would be used, but it is safe to assume that it would be land away from city centers that are not located in an area where there are many homes. You’re talking about fields like West Ham, Brighton, Leicester and Manchester United. They also need terrains that are quite modern, so it will be easier to have a social distance between the players and all the other people who will be in those games.
This issue of playing on neutral grounds is quite controversial, but it is the only way football can be restarted because it would not be able to obtain licenses to play on all 20 grounds at this time. It would be much easier for the authorities if the games were played on eight or 10 terrains and much easier to make those terrains safe.
Swanson One of the key considerations here is the police and I think there is nervousness that while supporters will be told not to approach the grounds, some of them will be tempted to do so, especially as the closure eases. .
I also think Wembley will be under consideration because the FA will also have an eye on the hope of resuming their FA Cup ties and if we look at some of the remaining games, semifinals and potential finals Wembley could be key to that. I think the police will be extremely aware of the potential of supporters on the grounds, whether they like it or not.
Are the clubs in agreement on how the return could work?
Swanson What is clear is that there is a difference of opinion on the best way to return, particularly on the issue of neutral places. It is emotional because it attacks the very heart of the notion of games at home and abroad. But something has to give, commitments must be made.
It is about accepting the worst case option. There is no perfect solution here and that is something that clubs will consider. He has been saying that after every important meeting, there has been a statement saying that the clubs unanimously agree that they want to end the season. The problem of how Ultimately, it is still under discussion.
Solhekol It’s emotional, it’s controversial, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with teams at the bottom of the table having concerns about it. Because if you are relegated from the Premier League, it is an incredible financial success. And being relegated in the current circumstances is unthinkable for these clubs. Therefore, they also have to look after their own interests.
Being relegated in the current circumstances is unthinkable for these clubs. Therefore, they also have to look after their own interests.
Kaveh Solhekol
If you look at the Brighton match list, they have five games to play at home. Four of them are against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. It would have to say that they would have a better chance of winning some of those games if they were playing in a full Amex stadium, rather than playing in a neutral location.
You must respect why teams like Brighton have doubts about playing games in neutral locations. But on the other hand, you must respect that if this is the only way the season can be completed, then it must be given and received. And some of those clubs that have concerns have to put them aside and trust the Premier League and the advice they get from the government and the authorities and trust their own players to take the field and represent their clubs and try to get a Outcome.
Could the season be canceled, as we have seen in the Netherlands and France?
Solhekol I think there is a possibility that the season may not be complete, but the 20 clubs want to end the season absolutely and totally if possible.
If you look at the league table, some of the teams are at the bottom, they would surely prefer it if the season is canceled and there is no relegation and they stayed in the Premier League for another season and got all the money in the future that entails. People can assume that. But from all the people Bryan and I have been talking to, the information we are getting is that, overall, the Premier League is fully committed to ending the season whenever possible, when it is safe to do so.
I don’t think the Premier League or the clubs make the decision to cancel the season. I think that if it happens, it will be a decision made by the government, as it was in France, where the Prime Minister announced that there will be no sporting events until September. From what we hear from the government here, that is not going to happen. They seem to think that it would be good for the Premier League to start again, good for the nation’s morale if soccer were to restart.
The season may be canceled, but right now the clubs want to restart, the Premier League wants to restart, and the government wants to restart.
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So what can we expect in the coming days?
Swanson Soccer is now being completely guided by the government. At the end of this week, we will be a little clearer about how the UK intends to start to come out of this period of blockade, this period of restrictions. And what they will give is some kind of clarity for football, particularly the Premier League, particularly the EFL, about the next step.
And the next step is to allow the players to return in group sessions and to allow contact between players. And that is the thorny question. They will want some assurance from the doctors that this is safe. And only when they are told that training schedules are safe, perhaps they can be resumed, the idea is that they want there to be a three-week training period before any match resumes.
But this will be a phased process. It is a difficult process, it is complicated, it is emotional, but the game is doing its best to plan, to try to help those clubs have a structure for the summer.
To hear Bryan Swanson and Kaveh Solhekol in their entirety about the proposed reboot and the dilemmas that lie ahead, Download the Sky Sports Football podcast at: Spotify | Apple | Castbox | Spreaker
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