Premier
League clubs are expected to give the go ahead to the introduction of phase
two of training on Wednesday, prompting hopes that a date for the return to
competition could be agreed by the end of the week.
The league has received government approval to progress to the next stage of
Project Restart, enabling competitive and close-contact training, including
tackling, in groups of up to 12 players.
Key week for the Premier League
Monday: Next twice-weekly round of COVID-19 testing begins, continuing into
Tuesday, with results expected on Wednesday.
Tuesday: Premier League will discuss updated government advice on contact
training with club captains, managers and representatives from PFA and LMA.
Wednesday: Premier League clubs will vote on whether to resume contact
training.
Thursday: Clubs meet again to discuss broader details of Project Restart -
including how curtailment of the season would look.
Players and managers will have the chance to discuss any remaining concerns
over phase two when they hold separate video calls with the Premier League
on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, clubs will then vote on whether to move to the next stage of
training, which could be introduced at training grounds before the end of
this week.
Several clubs have raised concerns over what will happen if a player tests
positive, once full contact training is reintroduced.
In particular, there are worries over whether team-mates could also be
isolated for up to two weeks, sending club and league planning into chaos.
With the majority of clubs likely to back the introduction of phase two, the
week could end with the Premier League putting forward the final drafts of
Project Restart - and a proposed fixture list, including the date when
competitive action could resume.
June 19 has been one target date, however, some Premier League clubs are now
pushing for a further week to prepare their squads, with a return on June
26.
A week of crucial meetings continues on Thursday when all other aspects of
Project Restart will be discussed, including the league's contingency plans
on relegation, the issue of the use of points-per-game - and the award of
the Premier League title, if the season has to be curtailed.
One proposal, first reported in the Daily Mail, to use 'home/away and/or
neutral venues' will also be discussed at Thursday's meeting.
The hybrid model would see the majority of games held at home grounds, while
a handful of high-risk matches could be moved to neutral venues, to allay
police fears and reduce the likelihood of large groups of fans congregating
outside a stadium.
Premier League clubs will vote to begin contact training this week, believe
Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp, after the government released guidance on
how that could be done in a controlled way.
"It's a huge week," Redknapp told The Football Show. "With what's happened
in Germany, I've got no doubt the vote will go ahead and the clubs will vote
to try to get phase two going, which is obviously important.
"I also think there'll be a situation where more players will opt out, which
is their prerogative, but with the success in Germany - it's not been great,
it's not the product we really like, with no fans there, but at least it's
football - I'll be very surprised if it doesn't go ahead."
top