Managers will have a chance to voice their
concerns to the Premier League on Wednesday
The Premier League will
hold conference calls with club captains, managers and medical experts on
Wednesday.
All 20 top-flight
managers will attend the first-of-its kind meeting with Premier League
officials to discuss the details of Project Restart.
The meetings will
include representatives from the Professional Footballers' Association [PFA]
and League Managers Association [LMA] and focus on the issue of player welfare.
The
calls will take place before the Premier League, and other representatives in
English football, hold talks with the government on Thursday.
Medical protocols will
be presented to managers by the Premier League's chief medical adviser, Mark
Gillett.
Managers are keen to
learn more about the testing of players and tracking of positive cases - and
what happens if one or more players test positive when training and competition
returns.
Operational details will be provided by the league's director of
football, Richard Garlick. Garlick's plans for a return to training and
competition were discussed
at Monday's shareholders' meeting and may yet be updated before
being agreed by all clubs.
The League Managers
Association, as well as all 20 Premier League managers, will continue
discussions on Thursday, Friday and next Monday to made sure their major
concerns are fully considered.
Right for players to 'voice the concerns'
"It is right the
players voice their concerns," Richard Masters, Premier League chief
executive, said on Monday. "It is right that they will have concerns and
questions and we need to hear those first.
"The clubs have
been very clear that the players have to be consulted properly and that their
concerns have to be heard."
Masters revealed the
concept of isolating entire squads in a secure environment has been discussed,
but it was not the 'favoured route'.
"Ultimately, in the
judgement of medical professionals, which I am not, they think that the formula
they have created is it safe and appropriate," he said.
"We want to remain
in step with government and the authorities. We want to remain in step with the
mood of football supporters. I think really the talk at the moment should be
about the tentative steps we are taking now that the announcements have been
made about going back to training and only once players have been
consulted."
Players
must sign group training consent
Premier League players will be required to provide written
confirmation that they agree to their club's new safety measures before they
return to group training, Sky Sports News has confirmed.
Clubs are required to
conduct an occupational health risk assessment by Friday May 15 and make
results available to the Premier League on request.
The updated draft
guidance, issued by Premier League director of football Garlick, was dated in
advance of a shareholders meeting on Monday.
PFA: Players
do not want to be guinea pigs
Professional
Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor says getting the balance
between safety and normality is key in the Premier League returning.
"It's never easy
when we've had over six weeks of being told to stay inside, and the next
minutes it's the start of what's being perceived as the easing of these
restrictions," Taylor said.
"The players don't
want to be seen as guinea pigs and that will apply to everyone in professional
sport.
"It's about getting
the balance of safety and also trying to get back to normality as much as
possible.”


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