London, May 11:
Premier League clubs meet today for further talks on “Project Restart” despite growing disquiet among players over safety issues and divisions over proposals on how to end the season.
The English top flight has a huge number of hurdles to clear if it is to follow Germany’s Bundesliga, which plans to return from a two-month coronavirus shutdown later this week.
A return to training in small groups is seen as the next step and clubs hope to get more guidance from the British government on Monday over when this will be possible after the lockdown in England was eased by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Players, coaches and staff will need to be tested at least twice a week at a significant cost to the clubs, with tests being privately sourced.
Protocols also need to be agreed on what would happen in the event of a positive test, an issue that was brought into sharp focus when Brighton confirmed on Sunday that a third member of their squad had tested positive.
Cases have also been found in squads in Germany, Italy and Spain in recent days, but have been met with different responses.
German second-tier side Dynamo Dresden placed their entire squad into a 14-day quarantine on Saturday after discovering two new cases of the virus.
However, five La Liga players who tested positive have been quarantined at home, while their teammates continue to train in preparation for a return to action.
Players have voiced their concerns at the prospect of being rushed back into training and eventually contact sport at a time when the rest of the public remain encouraged to abide by social-distancing guidelines.
“We are just people too,” tweeted Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell. A study for the Office for National Statistics, showing black people are nearly twice as likely to die with coronavirus as white people in England and Wales, has also raised concerns.
“There are players who have voiced genuine concerns,” Bobby Barnes, deputy chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association told the Times.
“Some of the young black players I’ve spoken to have read what’s in the press and want answers to that. ‘Am I more affected in my demographic and if so, why?'” The Premier League’s desire to overcome so many obstacles to complete the campaign is rooted in economic necessity. (PTI)
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