EPL moves closer to behind closed doors return in June

The English Premier League are eyeing a resumption of the season on June 8, behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, and reaching a climax on July 27, according to The Times.

The paper claims football chiefs, along with other sports governing bodies, have been holding talks with the British government about when they can resume and at only “approved grounds”.

The Premier League has 92 games remaining since it suspended the season on March 13 with Liverpool agonisingly close to their first ever EPL title.

The Times says Premier League bosses shared their idea ‘Project Restart’ with the shareholders last week.

The matches would be played behind closed doors — a maximum of 400 people would be pemitted to attend including media though only if they tested negative for the virus — and at selected stadia to limit stretching the limited resources of the medical services.

Extra changing facilities would be introduced to ensure social distancing measures were in place whilst players would be required to turn up for training individually and already in their kit.

They have also suggested Aug.22 as the date for the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

The main sticking point, though, remains the lack of tests available.

Should the season be unable to resume — the Dutch championship was abandoned without promotion or relegation on Friday — it would be a financial nightmare for the clubs.

Measures being taken to alleviate some of that has seen the EPL link up with DLA Piper -- a law firm that has advised on TV rights deals for the league in the past -- on an emergency loan fund, with a maximum of £10 million ($12.4 million) per club.

Some clubs have taken measures agreed with their players to ease the financial burden.

Southampton, West Ham United, Sheffield United and Watford have agreed deferrals with their first-team squads while the majority of Arsenal’s players have agreed a 12.5 percent wage reduction.

Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool player and Sky Sports Analyst, said the football season must be allowed to finish, but only if it is safe to do so.

“I don’t think the football authorities or the Premier League will decide, the virus will decide,” he told Sky News.

“Until it’s safe and sound for everyone to go back to playing football... I think it’ll be a while for that, then I think it is right that we try and get the football finished.

“I said straight away how much I miss football when it stopped, and it’s difficult to say things like that because of the pandemic we’re going through. It’s affecting so many people, it’s heart-breaking when you see what’s going on and I’m well away of that.

“But I don’t think we should shy away from how much football means to people and what it does for people in their general lives.

“So I do get the fact that it could give people a lift, and I think it will do if the football comes back. But as I said before, the virus will decide.”

There is a general acceptance among Premier League 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.

The Premier League said a number of complex scenarios were being worked through, with fears that failure to finish the season could cost it more than £1 billion ($1.2 billion).

Manchester United’s former great Gary Neville, said the Premier League should borrow against future television earnings to safeguard English football’s financial survival.

“The future revenues are into the tens of billions in the Premier League and more if they wanted to extend their TV contracts,” said Neville, also the co-owner of League Two Salford City.

“The idea of basically borrowing at this time 300 or 400 million, 500 million pounds, which is more than an affordable number, doing a soft deal with a bank on a loan to give the FA (Football Association), the EFL (English Football League), the players, whoever it is — the National League need 15 million.

“I’ve gone from opportunity to despair to almost now pleading with somebody at the Premier League just to do the right thing for the game.”

“There are 20 league clubs,” he said on Sky.

Agencies