Premier League clubs meet for ‘Project Restart’ despite stiff opposition
Premier League clubs meet on Monday for further talks on “Project Restart” despite growing disquiet among players over safety issues and divisions over proposals on how to end the season.
The English top flight has a huge number of hurdles to clear if it is to follow Germany’s Bundesliga, which plans to return from a two-month coronavirus shutdown later this week.
A return to training in small groups is seen as the next step and clubs hope to get more guidance from the British government on Monday over when this will be possible after the lockdown in England was eased by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Players, coaches and staff will need to be tested at least twice a week at a significant cost to the clubs, with tests being privately sourced.
Protocols also need to be agreed on what would happen in the event of a positive test, an issue that was brought into sharp focus when Brighton confirmed on Sunday that a third member of their squad had tested positive.
Cases have also been found in squads in Germany, Italy and Spain in recent days, but have been met with different responses.
German second-tier side Dynamo Dresden placed their entire squad into a 14-day quarantine on Saturday after discovering two new cases of the virus.
However, five La Liga players who tested positive have been quarantined at home, while their teammates continue to train in preparation for a return to action.
