Hull slam EFL over return of Championship

Club insist risks too great for campaign to resume Opponents furious after second attack on league

Hull City have launched a scathing attack on the English Football League over its plans to restart the Championship season, 24 hours before secondtier clubs return to training.

Ahead of this week’s crucial board meeting, Hull submitted a second letter to EFL chairman Rick Parry and the 23 rival clubs on Friday, outlining their fears over a resumption of the campaign in June. As reported by The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, Hull emerged as the first club in the second tier to publicly oppose the restart, with vicechairman Ehab Allam insisting in a letter to the EFL that the season should be voided amid the coronavirus crisis.

Hull have been accused of self-interest. They are fourth from bottom in the table and have failed to win a league game since New Year’s Day. But, in an email, Allam addresses a number of issues, including the testing of players, the dangers of training during a pandemic and the prospect of the season restarting but not concluding.

“Without any guarantee that all remaining fixtures will be played if the season recommences, Championship clubs are, in effect, being asked to agree to a game of pass the parcel in which they can achieve/miss out on promotion or avoid/suffer relegation, if the music were to stop at an indeterminable/arbitrary point in time.

“I continue to strongly believe that Championship clubs are being exposed to entirely unnecessary legal and financial risks (and forced to overlook the health and safety concerns that exist) as a result of the inappropriate haste with which clubs are being encouraged to return to training by the EFL. I also retain serious concerns about the integrity of the competition (which in my opinion is more than simply upholding promotion and relegation at all costs) should some, but not all, of the remaining games of the season be played.

“I am extremely concerned one of the testing options available is for individual players to administer the tests themselves before providing it to their club. This has the potential to fundamentally undermine a testing regime you have stated is needed to underpin a safe return and, in the event matches are ever played, expose the players and staff of other Championship clubs (who have adopted a more rigorous approach to testing via club medical personnel or third party agencies) to unnecessary and inappropriate risks.”

It is understood Hull’s second message has infuriated a number of clubs who are intent on playing the season to a finish. Clubs will return to training tomorrow, with an EFL board meeting on Wednesday which could help clarify when the season will resume, with June 20 or 27 seen as most likely.