Top flight to discuss the restart after training deal
ARAFT of issues including a restart date and curtailment will be discussed when Premier League clubs gather again this morning.
The 20 English top-flight sides have voted unanimously in favour of protocols for a return to contact training, which is expected to start as soon as today for those clubs which have already completed the necessary risk assessments.
There is a huge amount of ground to cover in today’s meeting, with the possibility that clubs may settle on a restart date. June 12 had initially been reported, but managers and players have pushed for an extra week’s preparation time.
Further talks will take place on curtailment, the PA news agency understands. Clubs will need to settle on a model to be used in the event of a setback which prevents the 2019-20 season being finished in a reasonable time frame, with reports that the Premier League clubs are keen on getting the new season started in September.
Where the matches will be played will also be looked at. On May 1 clubs were understood to have been told that using eight to 10 neutral venues was the only way the season could be safely completed, but it is understood that home and away games are still possible, along with the neutral venue option. There is also the chance clubs will use a ‘hybrid’ model where some games are played in their own stadiums.
There will be conversations too around broadcasting issues, including the fixture list, the possibility of staggered kick-off times and over how certain matches of the 92 remaining could be made available free to air.
A Premier League statement released yesterday read: “Squads are now able to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimising any unnecessary close contact. The Premier League’s priority is the health and well-being of all participants.”
Testing will continue on a twiceweekly basis.
Meanwhile, the FA has granted permission to the National League to extend its season, meaning the playoffs could be held.
The top tier of non-league football has been suspended since March, and clubs voted last month to end the season prematurely.
A decision is still to be made on how the league will decide on its final standings, meaning promotion and relegation is still up in the air for clubs.
Proposals on how to end the season are yet to be voted on by clubs, meaning there is still the possibility the season may be declared null and void.
But with the FA paving the way for the National League to stage the play-offs this summer, clubs chasing promotion to the EFL have been handed a big boost.
Barrow sit top in the only automatic promotion spot, while Harrogate Town, Notts County, Yeovil Town, Boreham Wood, FC Halifax Town and Stockport County currently make up the rest of the top seven.