Wolves and Aston Villa may have restart date after meeting
A Premier League restart date could be agreed today after Wolves and Villa were given the green light to return to contact training.
Top-flight clubs are gathering again following their unanimous vote on being able to ‘engage in tackling while minimising any unnecessary close contact’ in training.
Wolves were hoping to return to contact training today at Compton, but will do so tomorrow if not possible – with risk assessments requiring completion first.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and Dean Smith’s Villa could have a date for the season’s resumption following today’s meeting, in which there is a lot of ground to cover.
June 12 has been reported as a potential restart date, but players and managers have pushed for an extra week of preparation.
Also understood to be on the agenda is curtailment as clubs need to settle on a model to be used in case there is a setback which prevents the 2019/20 campaign being finished in a reasonable time frame, with top-flight chiefs reportedly keen on getting next season underway in September.
Where the matches will be played is also due to be looked at.
On May 1, clubs were understood to have been told that using eight to 10 neutral venues, and behind closed doors, was the only way the season could be safely completed. It is believed, though, that home and away games are still possible – the method having been successfully used in the German Bundesliga.
There is also the chance clubs will use a ‘hybrid’ model where some games are played in their own stadiums, but then matches considered high-risk are moved on police advice.
Broadcasting issues are to be discussed as well, including the fixture list, the possibility of staggered kick-off times and how certain matches of the remaining 92 could be made available free-to-air.
