We have scoured the Sunday Papers in the UK to get you the latest Coronavirus news as it relates to the English Premier League and when we can expect to see Manchester United kick-off again.
Key Coronavirus Updates From The Week of April 13th
- UEFA sent a letter to domestic football associations which urged a finish of domestic leagues by July 31st to leave August clear for the completion of the Champions League and Europa League.
- The letter was a basis of the Conference call last Friday where Premier League clubs discussed resuming the season on the weekend of June 13th in a ‘Best Case’ scenario.
- If the Premier League was to restart on June 13th – a Saturday – it would allow seven weeks to finish the season.
- The pessimistic view discussed on the conference call would look at resuming football in October, seven months after the last round of matches.
Back to Training in May?
- Manchester United ground staff and maintenance workers reported for duty on Monday, April 13th to start getting Carrington ready for action.
- No detailed plans for training can be finalized until the UK Government lockdown measures are lifted. The current lockdown protocols are in place until May 7th.
- The expectation is training will start soon after May 7th as long as the UK Government coronavirus projections are met.
Now We Have Some Dates – Can They Safely Complete the EPL Season?
If and when football returns it is going to be under bizarre circumstances. One premier league team has reportedly told players to be ready for hotel quarantine for around 50 days. Given that there is no vaccine and there is no way to eliminate the risk of an outbreak, it will be interesting to see what the FA and players association come up with to complete the season. It is estimated they could miss out on £1billion in TV rights if the 2019/2020 season is officially canceled. If they are able to proceed they will have to answer some key questions:
- How are you going to deal with players who suffer from asthma or any other high-risk health complications?
- How will you protect the vulnerable non-playing staff over the age of 50? As an example, Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace’s manager is 72.
- How will you treat injured players when private hospitals are being used to relieve pressure on the NHS?
- What is the policy if a player or a member of non-playing staff tests positive for COVID-19?
- What venues are you planning to play in and how many staff members are required to broadcast a live EPL match?
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