Premier League Clubs Fear rival teams could lie about their coronavirus testing amid ‘Project Restart’.
On Monday, all 20 clubs unanimously approved the first step of a return to training, allowing players to work in small groups while ensuring they are maintaining social distancing.
It’s the first of a three-stage procedure in the hope of leading to a resumption of the 2019/20 season, which has been suspended since mid-March.
A key part of the process will be coronavirus testing and The Times reports that players and staff will be tested twice a week under biotechnology firm Prenetics, of Hong Kong.
If a player tests positive, the identity of the player will be sent to the appropriate club but the Premier League will receive information only on the number of positive tests from each club due to medical confidentiality.
The top flight has issued a stern warning that heavy sanctions will be imposed for COVID-19 rule breaches, however, it’s understood there are fears the system could be abused by clubs, especially if a player tests positive ahead of a big match but does not have symptoms.
The report also suggested that some fear that a manager may be inclined to play a player regardless of the positive test result due to the huge amount of money involved in the top flight.
Monday’s vote is a step in the right direction as the Premier League looks to see the season reach its conclusion.
The German top flight, the Bundesliga made a return behind closed doors last weekend. During the matches, players on the bench sat at a social distance while wearing face masks.
The British government has yet to give the green light for football to resume but it’s understood there was a target to resume it on the weekend of June 12.
However, the target date for a return is now set to be put back at least a week until June 19 after talks between players, managers and medical experts last week.
Managers expressed concerns around having enough time to prepare players for games following the long break, while some players have reservations about their safety should the season resume.
UEFA has told talkSPORT that they would like to receive as much information as possible from the domestic leagues by May 25 about their plans for how they wish to complete their seasons.
European football’s governing body understands that detailed plans might not be fully available by then due to a variety of external constraints.
However, UEFA would expect to at least receive some indications as to the potential way forward envisaged by national associations and league by that date.
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