EPL's integrity at stake: Cleverley

LONDON • The Premier League's integrity could be affected if players worried about their health amid the coronavirus pandemic choose to skip future matches, according to Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley.

The English top-flight was halted on March 13 due to the crisis, but clubs can now train in small groups as part of the competition's Project Restart, which envisages a return to play some time next month.

While most players, including Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire have voiced their approval of the enhanced health and safety protocols, which are designed to minimise the risk of contracting Covid-19, some are still not ready to return to training.

Watford captain Troy Deeney has said he will be staying away due to worries over his son, who has breathing difficulties, while British media has reported Chelsea will accept it if midfielder N'Golo Kante misses their remaining nine games owing to safety concerns.

Their fears are not unfounded, especially with Britain's statistics office saying black people are four times more likely to die from Covid-19 related causes than white people - a cause for alarm as more than 25 per cent of players in the Premier League are black.

Two more positive tests were announced on Saturday night, making it a total of eight cases since the competition began mass testing last week.

No names were revealed because of "medical confidentiality", but Bournemouth yesterday confirmed that one of their players had been struck down with the disease and he will be put into quarantine for seven days.

A statement by the Cherries read: "Following strict adherence to the Premier League's return to training regulations, the club's training ground remains a safe working environment for players and backroom staff, who will continue to be tested for Covid-19 twice per week."

There will be another round of testing today and tomorrow ahead of Wednesday's meeting, when it is hoped clubs can move into Phase 2 of Project Restart, which involves full-contact training, including tackling.

However, Cleverley remains disturbed by the number of cases and the ongoing Covid-19 situation in Britain, which has resulted in over 36,600 deaths as of yesterday, making it the worst-hit country in Europe.

Claiming that it was playing on the minds of his teammates - British tabloid the Sun has reported two others excluding Deeney have given training a skip - he said yesterday: "If you're missing five or six of your players through personal circumstances, it's going to hit us hard and it does affect the integrity of the competition.

"You can't really say, 'That's bad luck, get on with it' when so much is at stake. Hopefully, if the league does continue, we'll have all our best players and a full-strength squad to pick from.

"If it's not the case, then we'll have to deal with it. It's got to be a no-excuses mentality from now until the end of the season."

The Hornets are 17th in the standings, just above the relegation zone on goal difference, and it would be a massive blow if Deeney and Co cannot participate in games through no fault of theirs.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS