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The return of English football and other sports would “lift the spirits of the nation” amid the coronavirus pandemic, U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Wednesday as talks to restart the season progressed.
But with the public still being ordered to social distance and stay at home, what would such a return look like, and is it possible?
Project Restart — the Premier League’s plan to resume the season — would see matches begin in June, potentially on June 12. Raab also said that the government has been working on a plan to get sports played behind closed doors in the second phase of lockdown, meaning that fans would not be able to attend games. The possibility of next season being played without fans has also been raised. The loss of match day revenue would hurt the big clubs but could be terminal for teams lower down football’s pyramid.
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All 20 Premier League clubs have agreed to finish the current season — ensuring they pocket bumper TV revenues from broadcasting deals — when “safe and appropriate” to do so, but it remains a question of when and how.
Testing and training
A number of clubs, including Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, have already returned to training, albeit without any contact and for fitness purposes. Stars such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being stopped for selfies in London while trying to run and keep fit was one of the factors in Arsenal partially reopening their training facilities for players. Full training for all clubs could start again later this month.
Once it does, players and officials could be tested for coronavirus at least twice a week, requiring 40,000 test kits, according to reports. But the U.K. has struggled to ramp up testing nationwide to those who need it and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said the idea of players being tested before front line workers did not “sit well.” It is also not clear what would happen if a player were to test positive. Back in March several clubs ordered their entire squads into self-isolation following players reporting symptoms, but such a stance following the resumption could derail hopes of ending the season. Club doctors have also reportedly submitted a number of questions to the Premier League about their concerns.
Neutral venues
The use of neutral venues is also under discussion, though some clubs have already expressed concerns. Aston Villa, West Ham and Brighton have all publicly opposed the neutral venue plan — all three clubs are at risk of being relegated, which would see them potentially lose hundreds of millions of pounds.
Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow told TalkSport radio: “At the bottom end of the table there’s a much smaller revenue base but the risk of relegation is probably a £200m catastrophe for any club that mathematically could still go down.”
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He added: “We’ve got six home games left to play and I think any Villa fan would agree that giving up that advantage is a massive decision for somebody running Aston Villa and I certainly wouldn’t agree to that unless those circumstances are right.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give an update on the U.K.’s lockdown on Sunday and the Premier League clubs will hold a meeting on Monday. The meeting is likely to include a vote on using neutral venues to complete the season — with 14 of the 20 teams needing to vote in favor for it to pass.
If clubs voted against the proposals to play at neutral venues it could lead to the league’s cancellation, the League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan warned on Wednesday.
He told the BBC: “The government, if they haven’t already, will be making it clear that home matches with densely populated stadia really puts into question whether social distancing rules can be adhered to.”
Lockdown relief, but at what cost?
The 2019-2020 season has been indefinitely suspended since Mar. 13 shortly after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus, along with a number of players at several different clubs.
The league’s shutdown pre-empted the government’s lockdown, which was implemented 10 days later. However, discussions have already begun to restart football, while the British public still await plans to ease lockdown measures.
The morale boost from a potential return of live sport is something on the government’s mind but a number of safety issues are set to be raised, not least by team doctors. Players, including Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, said players were “scared” because they have children and families. When it does return, it certainly won’t be football as we know it.
