Premier League Project Restart: the key questions answered
What have the clubs agreed upon?
The 20 clubs unanimously approved the matchday protocols on player health and safety on Thursday, meaning the final phase of Project Restart has been passed and next week’s fixtures are free to go ahead.
How will we know it is safe to play on the day?
Each player, coach and member of essential staff – such as medical personnel – will fill out a screening questionnaire and undergo a temperature check when they arrive at the stadium. They will also present a “clinical passport”. That will take the form of a barcode, probably on their phone but possibly on paper, that is scanned to ascertain their Covid-19 status. If they have tested negative for Covid-19 in the previous five days, they will be allowed to enter. Around 300 people will be inside a stadium at each game; all will have their temperatures checked but only those who require entry to the “red zone” – the pitch, dressing rooms, tunnel and technical areas – will need to show their Covid-19 status.
Will they still use the changing rooms and other facilities?
They will enter a pared-back environment, with the priority being that two-metre physical distancing and good hygiene are enforceable. Work is under way to reconfigure venues where necessary. Changing rooms will be used where possible but it is likely that, particularly in smaller grounds, bigger rooms such as hospitality suites may have to be adapted. Teams are not allowed to enter the pitch side-by-side and may come on via different entrances.
How will good hygiene be maintained?
Handshaking will be banned, with spitting and the clearing of nostrils also prohibited. Players will use their own drinks bottles during water breaks, allowed midway through each half, and will be required to use hand sanitiser when they enter and leave the pitch. Technical areas will be increased in size to reflect the increased number of substitutes and the distance required between them. Post-match showers will be allowed at a physical distance. Medical staff will wear PPE – although not full emergency PPE – when treating players on the pitch or in the changing room.
Will players be punished for violating any of these stipulations?
Not officially. The league expects players to be accustomed to the behavioural changes. If players forget them and, for example, shake hands or spit, they will be reminded after the game. There is nothing in the laws of the game to accommodate a specific sanction.
Will substitutes wear face masks?
Players may wear masks through choice but they are not compulsory. They will not be required to wear them on the bench or when arriving at games, as has occurred in the Bundesliga.
Will managers carry out postmatch interviews?
Yes. Broadcast media duties may be conducted outdoors, around the perimeter of the pitch and at a safe distance, after the game. Press confe
rences may be held via Zoom for the 25 written media likely to be in attendance.
How will players physically distance on the team bus?
Many clubs will use two coaches and their providers have taken steps to reconfigure them, such as placing seats back to back. Coach drivers are included in the Covid-19 testing programme. The league is encouraging teams to fly on longer-haul trips. Some clubs are chartering larger planes than normal to accommodate physical distancing. The league has been impressed by some of the imaginative solutions clubs have used to ensure they can safely get from A to B.
Will teams stay in hotels before matches?
The Premier League is asking them to avoid this but accepts that government guidelines allow an exemption for athletes to use hotels and that for some clubs – such as Norwich – there are distance issues that necessitate overnight stays.
What if a player falls ill at a stadium?
This situation is not anticipated but they would be sent home and told to self-isolate. The match may still go ahead but it would depend on the situation. If a player felt unwell during the trip to a match, arrangements would be made for them to return home.