Football news – Premier League club doctors voice safety concerns over Project Restart

Doctors from all 20 top-tier clubs have sent a joint-email to the Premier League’s medical advisor Mark Gillett and director of football Richard Garlick.

The letter, seen by The Athletic, is split into 10 subject areas and features around 100 questions, including: “As doctors, how can we ‘approve’ guidelines that still carry risk of death?”

Clubs are set for another meeting on Monday, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson discusses the UK’s lockdown exit plan on Sunday.

The Premier League's Project Restart is targeting a return to training in small groups on May 18, with competitive fixtures pencilled in from June 12, but these dates will hinge on the government’s proposals.

As highlighted by The Athletic, club doctors have raised concerns on a variety of subjects, including the increased risk to BAME groups and the possibility of transmitting COVID-19 through sweat or goalkeeper gloves.

On the above point, The Athletic writes: "They urge the Premier League to work with the League Managers Association to manage such behaviours and ensure coaches respect medical advice in the interest of player and staff welfare."

Ultimately, the doctors are seeking clarity from the Premier League, while also raising the point of liability and calling for "a centralised education and consent process”.

During Tuesday’s briefing at Downing Street, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the return of sport would be a boost for the UK.

"I think it would lift spirits of the nation," Raab said. "People would like to see us get back to work and children can go to school safely but also pastimes like sport.

"I can tell you that the culture secretary has been working on a plan to get sport played behind closed doors when we move to the second phase so that is something we are looking at.

"Of course, the key point though - we can only do it when the medical advice and scientific advice is that it can be done safely and sustainably. But certainly that is something under active consideration."

The basis of the plans for Project Restart were set out in the Daily Mirror. They are:

The police are said to be keen for matches to be played at neutral venues in order to stop fans from congregating outside stadia, as PSG supporters did when their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund was played with empty stands prior to the suspension of football.

It is said that grounds far away from heavily-populated urban areas, such as Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, West Ham United's London Stadium and Brighton and Hove Albion's AmEx Stadium are being favoured, but even those clubs will not be able to play their matches at their own stadia. The FA's St George's Park national football centre and Wembley Stadium were both mooted as potential venues previously, but it is now reported that the grounds are likely to be home to Premier League clubs.