Football news - Premier League clubs vote to return to training tomorrow
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ByEurosport
Updated 18/05/2020 at 20:36 GMT
Premier League clubs have voted to return to training on Tuesday, as the resumption of top-flight football in England moves a step closer.
Jurgen Klopp leads Liverpool out for training
Image credit: Getty Images
The votes means Premier League clubs are now clear to enter stage one of their return to training – this entails expanding training from individual programs to sessions in groups of five as long as social distancing protocols are adhered to.
“Premier League Shareholders today voted unanimously to return to small-group training from tomorrow afternoon, the first step towards restarting the Premier League, when safe to do so,” read a statement on the Premier League website.
Step One of the Return to Training Protocol enables squads to train while maintaining social distancing. Contact training is not yet permitted.
“This first stage has been agreed in consultation with players, managers, Premier League club doctors, independent experts and the Government.
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“Strict medical protocols of the highest standard will ensure everyone returns to training in the safest environment possible.
The health and wellbeing of all participants is the Premier League’s priority, and the safe return to training is a step-by-step process.
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Full consultation will now continue with players, managers, clubs, the PFA and LMA as protocols for full-contact training are developed.
The league held a conference call for all 20 clubs on Monday where the move was given unanimous backing, with the vote representing a boost to the Premier League’s Project Restart.
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Surprise inspections?
BBC Sport reports that surprise inspections, GPS tracking and video analysis could be used to make sure clubs follow safety guidelines.
"Gradually, we aim to ramp that up so we can have an inspector at every training ground," said Richard Garlick, the league's director of football.
"That will enable us to give confidence the protocols are being complied with.
"We are looking at bringing in our own independent audit inspection team that we'll scale up over the next few days which will give us the ability to have inspections at training grounds to start with on a no-notice basis."
What is Project Restart?
The basis of the Premier League’s plans for Project Restart were set out in the Daily Mirror. They are:
- The Premier League to pay for a comprehensive testing regime
- Phased return to training
- Full training, to start towards the end of May
- Games to resume in early June
- On-going communication with the government on match-day requirements
UEFA have set a May 25 deadline for leagues across Europe to present a plan to restart domestic football, with the European governing body expecting to hold its Europa and Champions League finals in late August.
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CELTIC DECLARED CHAMPIONS AS SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP SEASON ABANDONED
The announcement represents a stark contrast to developments in the Scottish Premiership, where the season was voided and Celtic announced as champions earlier on Monday.
"The SPFL has today announced that, following consultation with all 12 top-flight clubs, the Board of the SPFL has determined that the 2019/20 Ladbrokes Premiership has been concluded with immediate effect," the Scottish Professional Football League said in a statement.
The decision means that Celtic are crowned 2019/20 champions and Hearts have been relegated to the Championship.
When the season was stopped in March because of the pandemic, Celtic were 13 points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers, who had a game in hand, while Hearts were four points adrift at the bottom of the standings.
Places were decided on a points-per-game average.
Hearts said they were still considering legal action, saying they had been "unfairly penalised" because of the pandemic.
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