English Premier League clubs on Wednesday voted unanimously to resume contact training as it took a significant step toward restarting next month.
The Premier League was put on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Liverpool just two wins away from sealing the title.
Clubs returned to training in small and socially distanced groups last week, but they have agreed to move to stage two of the “return to training protocol.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Premier League shareholders today voted unanimously to resume contact training, marking another step towards restarting the Premier League season, when safe to do so,” the league said in a statement.
“Squads are now able to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimising any unnecessary close contact,” it said.
The decision was made following consultation with clubs, players, managers and the British government.
Clubs that have already completed the necessary risk assessments were expected to move to the new phase as soon as yesterday.
Later on Wednesday, the league announced four more positive findings from 1,008 tests of players and club staff.
That meant there had been 12 cases detected from a total of 2,752 tests. The small number of positive tests has raised hopes of a return next month.
In the second-tier Championship, just two positive tests were registered from 1,014 tests.
A series of issues, including the restart date and plans in the event of a curtailment, were to be discussed when the 20 Premier League clubs gathered again yesterday.
A targeted return date of June 12 — behind closed doors — was described by Premier League chief executive Richard Masters last week as a “staging post.”
Players and coaches have argued they would need more time to reduce the risk of injuries after such a long layoff, while some players have voiced fears over their safety and that of their families.
Watford captain Troy Deeney has not returned to training after three positive cases were registered by the Hornets. He fears he could spread the coronavirus to his five-month-old son, who has breathing difficulties.
World Cup winner N’Golo Kante of France has also been given permission by Chelsea to train at home.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho is keen to get playing again after seeing soccer resume elsewhere, with 92 games left to play.
“Honestly, since the moment Bundesliga started, the Portuguese league and Spanish league announced a date to start, I think it is the most difficult moment for us, because we want to play,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “It is hard to see other countries playing football and we don’t do it.”
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said that playing at an empty Anfield and winning the Premier League title with no fans present would be “pretty strange.”
Liverpool were 25 points clear of reiging champions Manchester City when the league was shut down, on the verge of being crowned English champions for the first time in 30 years.
“Of course, it would feel different because if you win any trophy and receive it without any fans there, it would be pretty strange,” Henderson told the BBC. “We still have work to do and we still need to perform at a high level right the way until the season finishes, because we want to finish as strongly as we can to make sure it is a full season.”
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