US 20 YEARS THIS STORM..
SHAMROCK ROVERS boss Stephen Bradley insists his players are free to decide for themselves if it is safe to return to work.
The Hoops will be back training on June 8 but players and staff will be tested regularly for
Covid-19 from this day next week.
A PFAI survey last week revealed that 87 per cent of League of Ireland players wanted a return to action.
Bradley said yesterday: “It’s very simple for me.
“If we have any player in the group that’s very worried about coming back, I wouldn’t have any issue with them not coming back.
“If they don’t think the testing is adequate and it’s not enough and they still don’t feel safe, that’s their stance and I’ll respect that.
“When they feel it’s right to come back, they can. You cannot force someone to go back training if they don’t feel safe.
“But while we keep talking about players, there are a lot of other people involved, from staff to medical personnel.
“Everyone has the same issues – they’re going back to their homes and young children and everyone wants to feel safe.
“If I didn’t think it was safe to go back, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. But I think the guidelines and what is being proposed in testing is really good.”
Dundalk boss Vinny Perth (inset) was frustrated that his players could not return to training in small groups yesterday.
June 8 is the FAI’S advised date for the four teams involved in
European football and Bradley added: “I don’t think we should take any risks.
“Even if there’s regular testing, I think it’ll be near impossible to come back and not have someone testing positive. Someone will test positive, I think that’s a given.
“But there will be protocols in place for when that happens.
“Do they quarantine for two weeks? These are the things that need to be ironed out.
“But the positive thing is that we’re talking about this and actively trying to come up with solutions, rather than putting it to bed and not trying to work with the problem.”