Premier League and Bundesliga to ease face-covering restrictions

Players and coaching staff in the Premier League will not be required to wear face masks when the league resumes next Wednesday.

The decision extends to substitutes on the bench and players in the changing rooms and tunnel, although the fourth official and club doctors will be expected to wear them pitchside.

The Premier League have called on players not to spit or clear their nose during games and hugging celebrations have been outlawed in a bid to maintain social distancing measures as much as possible.

Meanwhile, in Germany the sight of substitutes wearing masks had become common as the Bundesliga took an ultra-cautious approach to its restart.

Borussia Dortmund, in particular, were notable for their club-branded face protection which were soon made available to buy through the online club shop and proved incredibly popular.

Dortmund’s managing director Carsten Cramer revealed that within minutes the website had crashed due to the volume of orders: “No wonder, thousands of orders were received within the first few minutes. The yellow and black protective masks against the corona virus are in great demand. After only 20 minutes, the mark of 50,000 orders was reached”.

The masks are now available to pre-order but as from Friday the Dortmund substitutes were not required to wear them after the German federation announced that they were easing the rules, provided those on the bench remain 1.5 metres (5 feet) apart.