Coronavirus pandemic

Light at end of the tunnel for English football

Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata training at the club's Wanda Sport Complex in Majadahonda, outside Madrid, yesterday. La Liga is hoping to resume on June 12. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata training at the club's Wanda Sport Complex in Majadahonda, outside Madrid, yesterday. La Liga is hoping to resume on June 12. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

LONDON • Elite-level sport in England could start behind closed doors from June 1, according to government guidelines published yesterday, boosting Premier League clubs' hopes of finishing the stalled season.

The English top flight met yesterday to continue talks on "Project Restart" with the outcome not known by press time.

While a tentative June 8 resumption appears too early, given the multitude of issues that have yet to be resolved, it looks unlikely the competition, on ice since March 13, will follow in the footsteps of Dutch Eredivisie and the French Ligue 1. Both leagues were prematurely ended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK government's road map for exiting the nationwide lockdown - in place since March 23 - sets out the conditions under which various sporting activities can be safely carried out.

Step two of the process, which cannot begin any earlier than June 1, includes "permitting cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact".

Events will only be allowed to take place if sufficient progress is made in limiting the spread of the virus between now and then.

It appears British fans face an indefinite wait to attend games, with the guidelines recognising a return to sport in front of a crowd "may only be fully possible significantly later, depending on the reduction in numbers of infections".

The government also plans to introduce and enforce a 14-day quarantine period for arrivals to the UK, except for those from countries "on a shortlist of exemptions", which could affect European competitions Premier League clubs are in.

Like the Premier League, La Liga is grappling with similar issues as it works out a viable date as to when the competition can safely restart.

The Spanish top flight, however, appears to be slightly ahead of its English counterpart, with mass testing for Covid-19 and individual training already under way.

As such, La Liga president Javier Tebas told broadcaster Movistar on Sunday night he was hopeful play could recommence behind closed doors on June 12, although he said the final say did not lie with him.

"I'd like to restart, but we have to be prudent," he said. "It's not just up to football, it's also up to society, we all need to focus on complying with measures to protect health."

  • What's stalling Project Restart

  • HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS

    While players at certain clubs like Arsenal have returned to individual training, many others have not, and group training has also yet to start.

    The Premier League is hoping to recommence full training later this month and get play under way by next month, but for that to happen, protocols have to be in place and agreed upon by all parties.

    Details that have yet to be finalised include who and how the mass Covid-19 testing of players and club staff - up to twice a week for all players - can be conducted without placing the burden on the National Health Service, the use of shared facilities like club gyms, locker rooms and sanitisation procedures and other aspects.

    Clubs doctors also must be convinced that it is safe to stage games. Last week, a coalition of medical professionals working in the top flight reportedly raised concerns, such as data indicating blacks and other ethnic minorities in Britain appear to be more susceptible to Covid-19 - an issue as clubs have many non-white players - as well as the lack of personal protective equipment.

    NEUTRAL VENUES

    It looks like a given that fans will be banned from attending games, not only for the remainder of the season but the near future, and this is something that clubs and players have been resigned to.

    However, the proposal to play the remaining 92 games not only behind closed doors, but also at approved "neutral venues" has caused a stir.

    A list of eight to 10 stadiums have been reportedly drawn up, due to their layout being able to ensure safe distancing among the several hundred people still required to put on a game in an empty ground.

    But relegation-threatened sides like Brighton, Aston Villa and Watford have publicly voiced their opposition, claiming it "will have an effect on the integrity of the competition". At least 14 out of the 20 clubs must agree for the neutral venue proposal to go through.

    PLAYERS

    Many players, including Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and Glenn Murray of Brighton, have expressed their fears over the possible restart of the Premier League during the Covid-19 crisis.

    Players' union deputy chief, Bobby Barnes, also told The Times of London yesterday that young black players were particularly apprehensive as they are part of a more vulnerable group and it is clear many need far more assurances than what is being presented at the moment.

    The issue of player deals expiring by June 30 has also not been settled - about 80 footballers, including Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen and Willian of Chelsea are all out of contract this summer - and they are technically free to leave by that date, even if the league has yet to be completed.

Insisting that the league was not risking the safety of the players, he added: "Infection during a match is practically impossible as we have done a study, which we're releasing (soon), which will show there is a minimum risk in matches if we all respect the health measures."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 12, 2020, with the headline Light at end of the tunnel for English football. Subscribe