Six Premier League aces test positive
SIX individuals connected to three Premier League clubs have tested positive for coronavirus as clubs began to return to small group training amid the pandemic.
Top-flight teams voted unanimously to step up their return to action at Monday’s shareholders meeting, allowing players to train in small, socially-distant session as part of phase one.
Covid-19 tests were conducted across Sunday and Monday as part of the league’s partnership with the Prenetics consortium, with the Premier League confirming six players have tested positive.
A statement said: “Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days.
“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided and results will be made public in this way after each round of testing.”
Only 19 clubs were reflected in those 748 tests as the final team was tested yesterday, meaning their results will be included in Saturday’s update.
Tests are due to take place twice a week, with 40 tests being carried out at each club in each session.
Discussions around contact training will take place when Premier League clubs gather for their next shareholders’ meeting next Tuesday.
But as ‘Project Restart’ moves towards a June resumption, players from ethnic minority backgrounds expressing concerns about returning to action amid the pandemic to the Professional Footballers’ Association.
Data suggests black men and women are almost twice as likely to die from Covid-19 compared to whites, even when factors such as health, disability and area deprivation are taken into account.
Meanwhile, there are doubts over the British Grand Prix as Formula One admits UK Government plans for a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from abroad “would make it impossible to have a GP”.
The race at Silverstone is still scheduled to go ahead on July 19, despite the opening 10 races of the season not going ahead as scheduled, three cancelled and seven postponed. F1 officials want the Government to compromise to help the campaign continue.