Project Restart: the hurdles Premier League football must clear to resume - MW

Government
Without the government's approval when he returned to the game, nothing could have happened. Since early March, while the matches are still being played in front of the paying crowd, the Premier League has announced that it will follow government advice on the best way to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now everyone in the game is waiting to hear the suggestions that Vladimir Johnson will give in a television address on Sunday regarding the removal of the lock restrictions, and - hopefully - government-led work to tighten them up.

The Premier League pressured the government to be allowed to return. The government wants football to return as soon as possible, according to the Culture Secretary, in the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, it can revive the spirit of the nation.

However, there remains considerable uncertainty as to the details of any government action and the timeframe within which it will be implemented. There must be some concern that the Premier League will find itself in a house halfway this weekend; Don't stop restarting, but don't wonder how to do it.

Protocols
If the government gives the green light to football, attention will turn to important parts of any attempt to end the season: two protocols, one safe return protocol for training, the other to initiate matches.

In current ambitions, there is hope to resume training on May 18 and the match approximately three weeks later on June 8, before a seven-week offensive allows the season to end. July

Much work has been done on both protocols, but neither is finished. Government advice is part of it, but there are other problems that have not been resolved. The protocols must be approved by 14 of the 20 clubs in the league in a vote if they are implemented.

Lots of doctors

As part of the development of the protocols, the club doctors were invited to analyze the proposed measures and return to the questions. On Monday, the Premier League medical team introduced federation officials to 100 of them.

This massive reaction would come from a small number of doctors, perhaps only four. Some questions related to issues such as liability for insurance claims or the specific characteristics of the Covid-19 virus. But the absolute number will send out a signal: there is a lot to do.

One of the phrases used in Premier League tournaments is that returning to training is safer than a trip to the city supermarket. But that may not set the bar high enough. A number of doctors are concerned about concerns about the effects of physical exposure, an absolutely necessary part not only of matches but also of training. You can have soccer with a physical distance, but can you keep the virus without it?

Discover
The goal of the return is to test Covid-19 for players, staff and anyone else who is needed to help organize the game. The estimated number of exams starts at 40,000, but can be much higher. The Premier League has set up testing facilities and is confident to protect the necessary tests privately (at a cost of up to £ 4 million). This can be done without affecting the NHS and public health needs, he says. It remains to be seen whether this perception will be communicated to the public and will not be deemed inappropriate even if it does.

Neutral patterns
On the protocol which will determine the return to the game, the use of neutral bases has become the main point. The games can't be played in front of the crowd, but union officials allegedly used neutral bases and a scammer at a shareholders' meeting last week. They needed, they reasoned, to get help from the police - who expressed concern over the crowd that gathered outside the site - and also to provide security, with some stages considered to be unrealistic for reach physical distance.

While most of the debates surrounding the restart project have taken place in private, a number of club leaders have spoken out on neutrality. Brighton CEO Paul Barber said they have the potential to have a big impact on the integrity of the successful competition and on Wednesday Aston Villa partner Christian Purslow expressed the same view . . Both clubs are threatened with relegation and some believe that the neutral venue is used as an excuse to request that the season be limited. But there is no doubt that the absence of the crowd and the advantage of the home pitch will radically change the competition.

The players
If the government says yes and the protocols are completed and the clubs vote for them, then all that’s left is to persuade the people who will actually complete the season: the players. Eighty stand to be out of contract at the end of June, setting up another potential pinch point (again, still to be resolved). But more importantly, there is the issue of persuading men who often have young families to take a leap of faith that they will be able to compete safely. Not many have chosen to air their feelings on the subject but those who have have been afraid. With things as they stand, who can blame them?