Players should be given yellow cards should they spit on the field when football resumes, says Fifa’s medical committee chairman Michel D’Hooghe.
The Government confirmed talks with the Premier League are ongoing to get the 2019-20 season "up and running as soon as possible" as top-flight players begin to return to training grounds.
Arsenal and West Ham allowed players back to their respective training bases on Monday, while Tottenham’s players will return to training today.
And those players who spit after returning to the pitch should be punished as they risk spreading Covid-19, D'Hooghe told The Daily Telegraph.
The Belgian doctor acknowledged that spitting "is a common practice in football and it is not very hygienic".
Speaking to the paper, he said: "This is one of the reasons why we have to be very careful before we start again. I am not pessimistic but I am rather sceptical at the moment.
D'Hooghe said football administrators would need to consider punishment via a card due to the need to protect players and staff near the pitch.
It comes as Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden's department leads discussions on how professional sport can restart should restrictions be eased
Weekly meetings will now be taking place between medical officials from the major sports governing bodies and representatives of Public Health England.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
