The English Football League is considering whether to reimplement mandatory coronavirus testing as it reviews its medical regulations. The majority of the Leyton Orient squad tested positive for Covid-19 this week and West Ham’s co-owner David Sullivan accused the EFL on Wednesday of not testing players for financial reasons and of potentially exposing Premier League teams to harm in Carabao Cup games.
On Tuesday David Moyes and two of his players returned positive tests before West Ham’s Carabao Cup match against Hull, who declined West Ham’s offer to pay for a round of tests. Grant McCann, Hull’s manager, defended that decision, insisting they were following EFL guidelines and did not clarify whether players and staff would be tested before facing Northampton in League One on Saturday. “Hull, unfortunately, didn’t want to have it,” Sullivan said. “Charlton the previous week did.
“The EFL are not testing their players for financial reasons,” Sullivan told TalkSport. “We actually said, medically, why are we in a competition where we’re playing teams who have not been checked? We, with a few other Premier League clubs, decided to make the proposal to offer the teams we’re playing a check, at our expense so there is no cost to them whatsoever, so we were not exposing our players to untested players.”
The EFL, which regularly reviews its regulations, is reluctant to panic given that stringent protocols remain in place for all clubs but discussions are ongoing as to possible next steps in the wake of positive tests. Tottenham paid for Orient’s tests but the club’s owner, Nigel Travis, argued a wave of positive results, which put paid to a lucrative cup tie against Spurs, provide “an incentive not to get tested”.
The EFL maintains the reduction in testing is not financially driven but based on medical evidence which showed more than 99% of tests conducted following last season’s restart returned negative results. It is widely acknowledged among clubs, however, that the cost of a round of testing – about £5,000 – is not financially viable for many lower-league teams.
Championship clubs, many of whom continue to test players, must test all players and staff on their return from international breaks. League One or League Two clubs who have players on international duty or players who spend an extended period away from training must also undergo testing.
Bournemouth players were tested on Wednesday at Manchester City’s request before Thursday’s Carabao Cup meeting at the Etihad Stadium. Bournemouth turned down an offer from City to pay.
Liverpool have paid for Lincoln to be tested before Thursday’s cup match; Bristol City, who host Aston Villa, continue to be tested on a regular basis.
Mansfield, Orient’s opponents last Saturday, have confirmed a complete set of negative results. Plymouth, who also played Orient last week, are in discussions with the EFL following two positive results on Wednesday.
