EPL to vote on return of contact training

LONDON: Premier League clubs will vote on proposals for a return to contact training on Wednesday as the English top-flight seeks to take another step closer to resuming the season next month.

New UK government guidelines issued allow for the return of “close contact” training, including tackling, to help players step up their match fitness ahead of a return to competitive action.

“This type of training would start with smaller ‘clusters’ of 2-3 athletes and eventually progress to larger groups of 4-12 athletes, and ultimately full team training,” added the government advice in a statement.

Premier League clubs returned to training in small and socially distanced groups last week. Players and managers are to be consulted in a meeting on Tuesday before the proposals are put to a vote of the 20 clubs.

Results of the latest round of coronavirus testing, which is taking place on Monday and Tuesday, will also be published on Wednesday.

The small number of positive tests from the first two rounds of testing at Premier League clubs has raised hopes of a return in June.

Eight cases of coronavirus among players and staff have been detected from 1,744 tests in the Premier League. In the Championship, just two positive tests were registered from 1,014 tests.