Sky
Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol runs through the key answers from
the latest Premier League meeting as players edge closer to a return to
training...
Who was at the meeting and what was it
about?
The Premier League met with players, the PFA and government experts on
Wednesday morning to discuss players returning to training next week.
All players have been given a 40-page document on training protocols. Each
club was represented on the videoconference meeting by their captain.
Some club PFA reps were also in the meeting. Club captains that attended the
meeting include Jordan Henderson, Harry Maguire, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mark
Noble, and Troy Deeney.
What will training look like?
Players will drive to training in their kit, alone in their cars. Their
temperature will be checked at the entrance to the training ground. They
will park in a designated space, three spaces away from anyone else.
There will be no food at the training ground. They will train in a group of
five for a maximum of 75 minutes. They will be encouraged to wear a mask or
snood. No tackling or spitting will be permitted. Everything will be
disinfected, including the ball, pitch, goalposts, cones, and other training
equipment.
Players must maintain social distancing at all times. If players are
injured, they will be treated by a physio wearing PPE, which at minimum must
include a mask, gloves and an apron.
After training, players will drive
straight home.
Players will also be tested at least twice a week and have a mini medical to
check for any underlying respiratory or cardiac issues. All players will be
tested in the 48 hours before they train.
Foreign players returning to England will not be allowed into the training
ground for 14 days.
The aim is to make Premier League training grounds among the safest places
in England.
All clubs have to have a Covid-19 operational policy and a designated
Covid-19 officer.
Do the players want to go back to work?
It is fair to say the majority of players want to go back but only when it
is safe. If they receive the assurances they are seeking, then they are
likely to agree to start training again in strictly controlled circumstances
from next Monday.
Players want to know about what will happen to players who have asthma or
other respiratory conditions. They want to know why official data shows that
BAME groups are more likely to develop and die from Covid-19.
There are also questions about the so-called consent forms which players are
being asked to sign.
Players are being asked to sign the forms to agree to abide by their club's
Covid-19 operational policy but they have to be sure that they are not
signing away any of their legal or employment rights.
The PFA also wants to make sure that players who do not want to return yet
will be treated fairly and will not have their pay frozen or deferred.
What happens next?
The Premier League is also meeting with club managers on Wednesday.
If everyone is happy with the proposals - clubs, players and managers - then
training can resume, if it is approved by the government and Public Health
England.
The football authorities, including the Premier League, are meeting the
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden on Thursday.
The next Premier League shareholders' meeting is scheduled to take place
next Monday.
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