Premier League return: Players should not be paid if they do not train, says club official | Football News


Kaveh Solhekol

Sky Sports News reporter

PL club official: “I really don’t think they should be paid. We are not sure what the situation is under their contracts at the moment.”

Last Updated: 18/05/20 12:09am

A senior official at a Premier League club says players should not receive their wages if they refuse to return to training.

The 20 clubs are set to agree at their shareholders’ meeting on Monday that players can start training in small groups in strictly-controlled conditions.

But one club official told Sky Sports News if players are concerned and do not want to train, then clubs should not pay their wages.

“I really don’t think they should be paid,” the club official said. “We are not sure what the situation is under their contracts at the moment.

“If you asked people in the street would you train and play football against people being tested twice a week, would you do it for £60,000 a week, they’d all say yes. It makes me very cross.”

Some players may have health issues or have people at risk living with them, while official data has shown that BAME groups are more vulnerable to Covid-19 than others.

1:39
Players and managers believe there is a ‘lack of leadership’ at the top of the Project Restart campaign, according to Jonathan Northcroft

Players and managers believe there is a ‘lack of leadership’ at the top of the Project Restart campaign, according to Jonathan Northcroft

As for how Monday’s meeting may pan out, one Premier League club owner says the vote could be unanimous in favour of returning to phase one training.

He says he expects “most, if not all” of his players to return this week, although he estimated that up to 50 per cent have concerns about moving onto full contact training and playing games again from the middle of next month.

“I would hope that we can start small group training this week,” the club owner said. “The plan is then to move onto full contact training after a week.

“I’m expecting most, if not all our players back this week, but a lot of them are worried about playing games and contact training. I’d say it’s maybe as high as 40 or 50 per cent of them.

“All our players were tested this weekend with a view to training on Tuesday after we get the results late on Monday.”

0:34
Raheem Sterling tells Megan Rapinoe, on his YouTube channel, that players would need a month training to be match-fit

Raheem Sterling tells Megan Rapinoe, on his YouTube channel, that players would need a month training to be match-fit

In order to prepare for training in small groups to start again, Premier League clubs have been:

  • Disinfecting all training equipment including balls at their training grounds.
  • Delivering training kit to players so they can arrive ready to train.
  • Marking out designated parking spaces for players with gaps of three spaces between each car.
  • Allocating players to different groups of four or five in which they will train on designated pitches.
  • Drawing up lists of staggered arrival times for different players.
  • Drawing up lists of club employees who will be allowed at the training ground.

0:27
Barcelona staff in full bio-hazard clothing been carrying out regular disinfection of the training ground to ensure a safe working environment ahead of the squad’s return to work on Monday in groups of up to 10 players.

Barcelona staff in full bio-hazard clothing been carrying out regular disinfection of the training ground to ensure a safe working environment ahead of the squad’s return to work on Monday in groups of up to 10 players.

Players are aware of the strict rules which will be in place for phase one training.

That means no tackling or spitting and maintaining social distancing from everyone else at all times.

Many players are believed to be encouraged by what they saw after watching games being played again in the Bundesliga this weekend.

“It showed what’s possible,” the owner said. “But the danger for me is that we start again and then the season is abandoned on medical grounds.”

Join Sky Bet Club and track your progress towards a £5 free Bet

Opt in and bet £25 or more before 23:59 on Sunday. Free bets credited by 7pm on Monday.



LO MÁS LEÍDO

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *