Neutral venues are an option for Prem chiefs
points from a health and public order perspective on a match where the league title or another season-defining issue was on the line, because of the potential for mass gatherings of supporters. DCC Roberts said that will be in the league’s thinking.
“In the first instance, football has to satisfy the Government they can hold the matches and that it’s safe for everyone to do it in terms of players, officials, coaching staff, broadcasters,” he said.
“So you get that first stage of ‘how do you make it safe to play football at the location?’ And it may be that actually that mandates them being played at specific neutral venues where it can be controlled.” The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said he would be concerned about large numbers of supporters congregating at Anfield – in breach of rules around social distancing and mass gatherings – even if the decisive match was not played there. Barber said: “We would expect to play our remaining five games at the Amex, that is an absolute priority for us. You expect to play an equal number of games home and away. “Whatever ends up being the end to the season is going to be imperfect and for us that imperfection will almost certainly be playing behind closed doors. What we don’t want is a further imperfection of having to play at a neutral venue.”
Regular testing is another key part of the restart plans, both at Premier League and EFL level. Though the Premier League will fund the purchase of these tests, it accepts that can only be done when there are sufficient tests available to ensure none are being taken away from the areas of society which need them most, in particular the NHS frontline.
It has been reported that as many as 66,000 tests would be needed at EFL level. Premier League clubs will also hold further talks on return-totraining protocols.
A document is believed to have been drawn up by the league’s director of football Richard Garlick, which calls for players to wear face masks at training, and for training equipment to be disinfected by staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).
Further consideration will also need to be given to where players and staff should be based if and when matches restart – whether at home or effectively quarantined in hotels.
Barber added: “If we were in a situation where it was necessary to lock players up for two months that would suggest to me the country is not safe. For me, that doesn’t make sense, it is illogical.”
Premier League medical adviser Mark Gillett and Football Association head of medicine Charlotte Cowie will be involved in a separate meeting involving medical officials from a range of sports, along with representatives from Public Health England.
The meeting, which will be led by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is understood to be taking place today, in a sign of the Government’s apparent commitment to restarting professional sport where it is safe to do so.
In the Premier League, it is understood there remains the desire to retain video assistant referee (VAR) support for the final games and that social distancing guidelines will be followed in setting up the officials, either at the Stockley Park headquarters or on-site at stadiums.
Discussions will also continue on the various player status issues created by the indefinite extension to the season. Huge uncertainty surrounds players whose contracts expire on June 30 and loan returns.
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