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Premier League come up with concrete proposals to finish season: report
LONDON, April 25, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The English Premier League are eyeing a
resumption of the season on June 8, behind closed doors due to the coronavirus
pandemic, and reaching a climax on July 27, according to The Times.
The paper claims football chiefs, along with other sports governing bodies,
have been holding talks with the British government about when they can resume
and at only “approved grounds”.
The Premier League has 92 games remaining since it suspended the season on
March 13 with Liverpool agonisingly close to their first ever EPL title.
The Times says Premier League bosses shared their idea ‘Project Restart’
with the shareholders last week.
The matches would be played behind closed doors — a maximum of 400 people
would be pemitted to attend including media though only if they tested
negative for the virus — and at selected stadia to limit stretching the
limited resources of the medical services.
Extra changing facilities would be introduced to ensure social distancing
measures were in place whilst players would be required to turn up for
training individually and already in their kit.
They have also suggested August 22 as the date for the start of the 2020/21
campaign.
The main sticking point, though, remains the lack of tests available.
Should the season be unable to resume — the Dutch championship was
abandoned without promotion or relegation on Friday — it would be a financial
nightmare for the clubs.
Measures being taken to alleviate some of that has seen the EPL link up with
DLA Piper — a law firm that has advised on TV rights deals for the league in
the past — on an emergency loan fund, with a maximum of œ10 million ($12.4
million) per club.
Some clubs have taken measures agreed with their players to ease the
financial burden.
Southampton, West Ham United, Sheffield United and Watford have agreed
deferrals with their first-team squads while the majority of Arsenal’s players
have agreed a 12.5 percent wage reduction.
BSS/AFP/MMA/1500HRS