The return of football is very much upon us and the return of the Premier League brings with it a number of factors to consider. Foremost of which is the health and safety of all those involved. The task isn’t a daunting one.
Fans are to be removed from the equation, and rightly so, at least until a vaccine has been approved for common use. For the players, and officials, the proposed strategy is straightforward enough. The teams will be moved from their individual homes into camps within various venues including entire hotels or as with Spurs, Hotspur Way.
Living and training in controlled environments, these COVID-19 negative players will exist in a manner no stranger than if they were at the World cup for their countries.
Martin Lipton and Dave Fraser for The Sun believe that the final games could take place on June 12th all being well.
The police are requesting that the chosen stadiums be away from congested urban areas, if possible, which makes Wembley an obvious favourite, and the London Stadium, neither of which are particularly great venues even when packed to the rafters. Indeed, it might be an idea to simply cordon off neighbouring streets during games and arrest on sight anyone daft enough to show up – and idea already discussed by Tottenham.
When will a decision be made? The government are currently drawing up a plan for a loosening of the lockdown, and once that is done, the Premier will speak to the sports’ stakeholders once again.
The Tottenham stadium is ideal in every respect, and a summer of football there (even if it doesn’t actually feature Spurs) will be a welcome sight after so many weeks of doom and gloom.
The naysayers going on about a restart seem to be forgetting that so far every player has been in lockdown. Every player will be tested before a ball is kicked. Every player will be isolated before and after a game.
If you don’t have the virus and haven’t had the virus you are quite safe in the company of others in the same position as you. Hence why there will be a moderate lifting of the lockdown next week.
This is driven by one thing, money, so let the Premier League put a price on the players lives. Ten million to the family of any player that dies. It’s known that some players do not want to restart with the virus still everywhere, see Aguero’s comments. The PFA oppose it and some players want them to make known their opposition, some clubs are said to be against it, but are unwilling to put their heads above the parapet. The logistics are a nightmare which will soon become very clear, and try telling the public how important social distancing is when Sky beams pictures of footballers grappling in the the box at corner kicks. The Premier League not just on the verge of bankruptcy but morally bankrupt too. Fun and games while hundreds of people are dying every day.
The more I look at this, the more I see a potential PR disaster waiting to happen. We all want football to return, but if a club gets positive results just like Cologne have just got, then fingers start being wagged and pointed. It could easily lead to the season being void as a knee jerk reaction from screaming journalists, pundits and politicians. Patience is needed and I’m trusting the season won’t start until everything is good to go. All it takes is one footballer to have an illicit house party and it could all go south. And if I’m not invited I will be less than happy. Kyle Walker’s looked cracking!