Premier League Meeting tomorrow – Talking Points
- Club Chiefs set to meet tomorrow
- Major discussion will be on Project Restart
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Premier League Heads are set to meet tomorrow in a crunch meeting that will pave way for the realization of Project Restart.
Club Chiefs are set to discuss major points in their showdown meeting tomorrow in readiness for Project Restart.
The Premier League has been on hold since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Talks began on the possibility of the games resuming.
June 12 has been set as the date for resumption, however, various talking points need to be addressed to pave way for the resumption.
While various players have expressed concern on the resumption of games, some clubs are opposed of the idea of having the games played out in neutral venues.
Ahead of the meeting tomorrow, the following points will make the agenda of the meeting:
Fixture Schedule
Premier League Heads have been of the opinion that the remaining fixtures should be completed in the same order they had been scheduled before the break back in March.
Concern has been on the number of games played in the shortened timeframe provided in Project Restart.
There are a total of 92 Premier League games that remain that are to be played between June 8 and July 27.
Training Protocols
With teams like Arsenal and Tottenham having their players already back in training, question still remains on how the trainings should be conducted in line with the health directives on social distancing.
Question also remains on what should be done should a player test positive of the coronavirus.
Neutral Venues
As spelt out in Project Restart, the remaining fixtures would be played out in neutral venues.
Concerns that hosting the matches at original venues and stadiums appear logistically impossible and thus, having the matches in designated stadiums in the south, Midlands and north appears more likely.
Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium have been picked as ideal neutral venues as they are located away from residential buildings.
Brighton Chief Executive Paul Barber is resigned to the idea of hosting the games in neutral venues stating that it would go against the interests of sporting integrity.
Broadcasting
Sky Sports and BT Sports retain the rights to 47 of the remaining 92 fixtures and are inclined to the idea of the games resuming to help them recover some revenue lost during the unprecedented break.
Suggestions have been floated of having the games streamed on Free-to-Air channels to ensure that families do not feel the need of moving to neighbors to watch the games.
Finances
The coronavirus has negatively and adversely affected the sporting calendar and direly hit the clubs that continue to count losses with the games on halt.
While Health Observers continue to insist that the ‘financial part’ should not be seen to supersede the need for safety, clubs see if fit for the games to resume.
A financial report is being compiled by the Premier League detailing the full implications of Project Restart.
