Premier League return date still not clear, says Brady

West Ham chief executive Karren Brady claims the Premier League’s return date is still unclear despite hopes the top-flight season can restart in June.

The Premier League said on Friday that wrapping up the remaining 92 fixtures remains their goal, but the on-going coronavirus crisis means no fixed schedule can be drawn up yet.

Brady’s West Ham were perilously placed in the English top flight when football was suspended, sitting above the relegation zone on only goal difference with nine games remaining.

“Players will have been able to retain some physical fitness at home,” Brady wrote in her column in The Sun on Saturday.

“But if social-distancing rules are still in place, physical match-play training will not be allowed -- you can’t tackle from two metres away.

“So, how match-fit will players be if the season commences, as we all hope it will, by mid-June?”

With most clubs having nine games left, it was reported that Friday’s meeting of the 20 clubs discussed finishing the season in a 40-day window.

There have been claims that clubs were told domestic seasons must end by July 31 and the 2020-21 campaign must start by the first week of September at the latest.

But Brady is adamant difficult questions over training, testing of players, hygiene and medical protocols will need to be resolved first.

The Premier League has been suspended since March and the UK’s lockdown is in place until May 7 at the earliest.

Brady questioned how Premier League clubs could regularly test players for the virus when the same situation is not yet in place for all NHS workers.

She also highlighted a potential unfairness in some squads having a number of players in self-isolation.

“Police officers will need to be at games even if they are behind closed doors as some supporters will travel to the stadium, even if they cannot come in to watch,” she said.

“Everyone at the stadium -- and even behind closed doors this is about 300-500 people -- including security, staff, medical officers, players, referees and media, will have to have temperature checks, fill out health questionnaires and observe social distancing. Then there is the issue of injuries. All this is manageable but what if a player gets injured, where do we send him?

“It can’t be to an NHS (UK National Health Service) hospital that is already under pressure and private hospitals are carrying out NHS procedures and not taking in injured footballers. So then what?”

Britain is on lockdown until May 7 at the earliest to limit the spread of COVID-19, leaving English football to play a waiting game. There is a general acceptance among clubs that matches will be played behind closed doors if the competition can resume, with restrictions on mass gatherings likely to remain in force for the foreseeable future.

A Premier League statement said a number of complex scenarios were being worked through.

“The health and wellbeing of players, coaches, managers, club staff and supporters are our priority and the league will only restart when medical guidance allows,” it said.

“Today’s shareholders’ meeting provided an opportunity to discuss possible scheduling models. It remains our objective to complete the 2019-20 season but at this stage all dates are tentative while the impact of COVID-19 develops.”

Premier League clubs are concerned by the legal implications of the campaign running past June 30, which is when standard player contracts expire.

FIFA, football’s world governing body, has proposed that contracts be extended by mutual agreement until a club’s season actually ends.

Premier League clubs are still holding discussions with players over wage deferrals and cuts.

Players were widely criticised for being slow to take pay cuts while clubs incurred the wrath of former players and fans by furloughing non-playing staff.

Southampton became the first club to strike a deferral agreement with their players last week and it has been reported that Arsenal are close to agreeing 12.5 percent salary cuts with their players.

Agence France-Presse