PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are still waiting for guidance on coronavirus protocols with the new season less than a month away.
Many of the rules regarding travel, testing and biosecure bubbles will still apply despite the Government ending lockdown restrictions this week.
And it is almost certain that supporters will need to have a Covid passport or proof of a negative test before being allowed to attend a game.
But that could prove a logistical nightmare for clubs to organise checkpoints for crowds of up to 75,000, particularly for evening games.
The plan is for all matches to be played at full capacity grounds for the first time since the pandemic struck back in March, 2020.
But rising cases of the virus means that football must now find a way of keeping all of their customers safe without maintaining social distancing.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has outlined two objectives for the new season – to complete the campaign with no disruption and to play in full stadia.
The arrangement with Sky, BT Sport and Amazon Prime to screen all Premier League matches live will not apply in the new season.
That means fans will only be able to see most games by travelling to the ground.
But many clubs are wondering how they are going to maintain safety levels, with one senior executive claiming: “It was difficult enough to keep our players secure when the ground was empty last season.
“It’s great news that we can finally have our supporters back, but it does present us with a lot of new problems and no-one has yet explained how we are going to deal with these issues.”
Many of last season’s protocols are expected to remain in place.
That means players will be tested twice a week at training grounds, red and amber zones will restrict the number of people in certain areas of the grounds and press conferences will continue to be carried out via zoom calls.
No decision has yet been made on substitute numbers. Before the pandemic, clubs were allowed to name five subs and use three.
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That number rose to nine and was then reduced to seven last season.
The Premier League have been in constant contact with the Government over the return of crowds and clubs are in talks with their local authorities.
But the lack of clarity is causing concern and many within the game fear the confusion will continue right up to the opening day of the new season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
