PREMIER LEAGUE chiefs will not even consider a ‘circuit break’ shutdown – despite a growing push for hibernation.
A number of clubs from the lower reaches of the top-flight have begun to lobby for a three-week hiatus.
The Premier League has announced 36 Covid-19 cases from latest two rounds of testing
Their argument was bolstered by the latest Covid-19 test figures which saw 36 positive results across the 20 top flight clubs.
The rebel clubs argue that a break would allow breathing space to deal with the mutant strains that have already caused chaos at Manchester City, Sheffield United, Fulham and Aston Villa.
But while Scottish football’s lower tiers have been mothballed until next month, Prem bosses remain insistent that there is no reason to even consider a temporary shutdown.
And that view is backed by the vast majority of top flight clubs, including all of the Big Six, who believe the show must go on.
SunSport understands there has yet to be any suggestion of a formal proposal to put the Premier League on hold.
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has been the loudest voice for a closedown so far.
But PL chief executive Richard Masters and his senior team have no interest in giving a platform for a debate over the issue.
Among the Big Six, the view is that the clubs pushing for a break are seeking to prevent a final table being possible.
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The total figure shows a slight drop, but the numbers are still far higher than in recent monthsCredit: Reuters
While clubs did agree that, in the event of an uncompleted campaign, points per game would be applied once a threshold had been reached, there was no deal on how many matches needed to be played for that point to be met.
One club chief told SunSport: “It looks like a ploy to ensure we cannot finish the season before the Euros.
“Of course, if the season is not completed, nobody can be relegated.
“But it is an incredibly short-sighted approach.”
The Government has also given elite football the green light to continue, although there is concern over the lax application of the Covid protocols introduced as part of Project Restart in the summer.
That remains the case despite the latest testing round which saw just four fewer positive cases than in the record figures recorded in the New Year week.
All clubs are now being tested twice each week, with 85 samples taken per session.
A total of 2,593 tests were taken, with 27 positive cases in the first round of samples and just nine out of 1,055 samples in the second.
That lower figure is seen as a plus for the resting regime and a signal that clubs are
And unless there is a U-Turn from Downing Street, which is currently not under consideration, Premier League bosses are confident they will be able to continue to the end of the season.
Premier League managers express concern at the impact of Covid-19
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
