Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Alex Milne

Premier League doctors discuss logistics of return - with draconian measures put forward

Premier League doctors are locked in discussions to try to come up with a number of protocols to protect players for when football returns.

It is expected that top-flight football will initially take place behind closed doors when it resumes amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Players are still said to be understandably concerned for their health, however, and medics are keen to reassure them that everything possible will be done to protect them.

According to the Daily Mail among the ideas put forward are to ask players to avoid communal showers, to order them to eat on their own away from team-mates and to test them regularly for at least seven days after the resumption.

Premier League medics are locked in discussions (PA)

Players are also expected to be asked to divide into small groups in training and to arrive in their training gear rather than getting changed in the locker rooms.

Medics from all Premier League teams are still discussing the best ways forward, and it is believed a dossier containing their proposals will be presented at the next meeting with all clubs involved, which is due to take place next Friday.

There is still no decision as to how the division will be concluded, but there are fears it could be made null and void if player safety cannot be guaranteed.

The Dutch Eredivisie will meet with UEFA this week after their prime minister Mark Rutte banned football in Holland until September 1, and there are suggestions that their domestic campaign could go the same way as Belgium and be cancelled altogether.

Players may be asked to eat on their own and stay a safe distance from teammates (West Ham United FC via Getty Ima)

And on Tuesday UEFA admitted for the first time that some countries around the continent may not be able to finish their top-flight seasons, and they were prepared to discuss future European qualification matters with them.

Ajax and AZ Alkmaar are currently only separated by goal difference at the top of the Eredivisie table.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.