EPL restart will boost morale: Minister

LONDON • The path to restarting the Premier League is fraught with hurdles, but given the devastation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, it would be a boost to the country's morale, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

English top-flight chiefs have targeted a return to action next month, more than three months after the competition was put on ice on March 13.

There are still 92 matches remaining, with the title, relegation and qualification for Europe all to be resolved, and the Premier League has to resume by June 19 if it is to meet Uefa's cut-off date - the domestic season must end by Aug 2 to accommodate the finals of the Champions League and Europa League.

But the league has not set any concrete date as there are many issues that first need to be worked out before play can resume.

These include the possibility of playing behind closed doors at a number of neutral stadiums, being based in an isolated, centralised location, mass testing of players and securing enough test kits to conduct tens of thousands of tests on a regular basis without putting the burden on an already taxed National Health System.

With the crisis in the UK showing no signs of slowing down - there were over 195,000 Covid-19 cases and almost 30,000 deaths as of yesterday - critics have questioned whether the Premier League is trying to return too soon after French Ligue 1 and the Dutch Eredivisie were axed prematurely.

But Mr Raab sees merit in the Premier League's "Project Restart", as difficult as it might be to pull off.

"It would lift spirits of the nation and people would like to see us get back to work and children can go to school safely but also pastimes like sport," he said during a press conference on Tuesday. "I know the government has had constructive meetings with sports bodies to plan for athletes return to training when it's safe.

"Of course, the key point though, we can only do it when the medical advice and scientific advice is that it can be done safely and sustainably, but certainly that is something under active consideration."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE