News
EPL clubs reiterate commitment to resume season only when it’s safe to do so
English Premier League clubs have reiterated their commitment to resume playing football only when it is safe to do so, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the world.
The clubs restated their commitment at a meeting held over videoconferencing on Friday.
The English topflight was suspended on 13 March to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and talks have long started for the restart of play.
At the meeting on Friday, the clubs were told that neutral venues would be the only way to complete the season.
“Up to 10 stadiums” would be used to resume the 2019-20 campaign, the Premier League said.
The League would also need up to 40,000 tests for players and staff if plans to play the 92 outstanding games behind closed doors are pursued.
Read Also: COVID-19: Italian Serie A clubs vote to continue season, await govt’s permission
It was said at another meeting led by a government official that the games would return behind closed doors “when, and only when, it is safe to do so on the basis of expert medical advice”.
In a statement, the Premier League said it would “only return to training and playing with government guidance.
“No decisions were taken at today’s meeting and clubs exchanged views on the information provided regarding ‘Project Restart’.
“It was agreed that the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the League Managers’ Association (LMA), players and managers are key to this process and will be further consulted.”
Meanwhile, the French Ligue 1, the Dutch Eredivisie and the Belgian topflight have all abandoned their respective seasons.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...