The Premier League is aiming to have matches playing again from June 8 with clubs returning to training from mid-May, a proposed timetable has revealed.
The timetable has been circulated among clubs and the Telegraph reports that the Premier League will speak individually to clubs today, ahead of the shareholder’s call on Friday, but the plans are depending on government approval.
Lockdown measures in the UK are due to last until May 7, when discussions about a possible extension for another three weeks or the gradual lifting of restrictions will take place.
For the Premier League’s timetable, which sets May 18 as the date for full training to return, the lockdown measures will have to have been eased, while the league still has a number of challenges to overcome.
According to the report, the plan is for mass testing of Premier League players over the weekend of May 9-10, with players then returning to train in small groups from Monday May 11.
However, the plans will face plenty of scrutiny as there is still a wealth of uncertainty about what the coming months will bring - and we have already seen Holland’s Eredivisie and France’s Ligue 1 brought to a halt following government action.
A number of players are also currently outside of the UK and are expected to have to enter a 14-day quarantine period upon their return, while there has also been reports of players being unhappy with the potential return as it may put them at risk.
Proposals for the Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ are expected to be announced following Friday’s shareholders meeting and while that suggests that a return could be on the horizon, a number of huge issues still need to be ironed out.
Mass testing of players will certainly be controversial with the government yet to roll out similar measures for NHS staff and key workers, while there are also issues around players who are due to see their contracts expire on June 30.
The biggest challenge, however, may be preventing fans from congregating in mass to celebrate end of season achievements, including the title, European qualification and avoiding relegation.
