GERMAN LESSON SHOWS US WAY
All Premier League clubs vote for a return to training
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs gave the biggest sign yet that their season can start again after watching the example set in Germany over the weekend.
All 20 voted for players to return to group training today, subject to tests which will be made public early this afternoon. But after an incident-free weekend of Bundesliga matches, Premier League chief
executive Richard Masters hailed the German example, below, as an inspiration.
Masters said: “The Germans are a couple of steps ahead of us and we can learn from their success. It does add confidence that it can be achievable in this country.”
Masters feels the Premier League can be even better – with ideas such as piping in crowd noise being considered.
He said: “Seeing the quality of football and observing how it was broadcast was really helpful.
“If there aren’t fans in the stadium, what is the experience like for the viewing fan at home? That’s the question we’re seeking to answer.”
No date is being put on when Premier League games might resume but a road map was laid out to the clubs yesterday.
Masters said: “Tuesday, May 26, is a meeting at which we will discuss contact training, then the 28th is when we will start looking at the wider issues. Openness is key and the Premier League will report the numbers of clubs affected and the positive tests recorded when results are known later today.”
A taskforce will spy on clubs to make sure training restrictions are adhered to.
League director of football Richard Garlick said: “We can request information from videoing of the sessions and GPS data too.We are also looking at bringing in our own audit team. It will give us the ability to have inspections at training grounds.
“We will start that on a no-notice basis and gradually ramp that up so we can have an inspector at every training ground.”
But nearly half of Premier League medics do not feel they have been properly consulted ahead of the restart. A survey by the Football Medicine and Performance Association said their doctors, physios and sports scientists said they had not had enough information on the return to training. In the EFL, 68 per cent said they had not been consulted enough. Garlick said insurers were “content” with the level of coverage.