Watford, Aston Villa & Brighton may stop Project Restart as 8 clubs may voice opposition to neutral venues

Watford, Aston Villa & Brighton may stop Project Restart

Twenty-four hours is an eternity in football right now…

On Monday, all 20 Premier League clubs will engage in the latest round of talks regarding the possible restart of the 2019-20 season.

In order for any motion to pass, 14 Premier League clubs need to vote in agreement.

In recent days, several clubs have voiced their public opposition to those restart plans. Those clubs include Watford, Aston Villa and Brighton, who are all in danger of relegation into the Championship.

On Brighton, the Seagulls on Sunday confirmed that one of their players has tested positive for Covid-19. That player is now in quarantine.

However, while Watford, Aston Villa and Brighton have been vocal in their opposition to Project Restart, the widespread narrative has been that these clubs didn’t have enough support from the others to halt the Premier League resumption plans.

On Monday, the Telegraph flip the script.

Up to eight Premier League clubs are expected to argue against the use of neutral venues and call for Project Restart to be put back at a crucial meeting on Mondayhttps://t.co/iqz6c4mb8U

— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) May 10, 2020

 

8 clubs may voice opposition to neutral venues

The Telegraph now believe that eight Premier League clubs could band together to vote down the Project Restart plans. Readers are told:

Boris Johnson’s go-ahead comes as up to eight Premier League clubs are expected to argue against the use of neutral venues and call for ‘Project Restart’ to be put back at a crucial meeting today.

Brighton, Aston Villa and Watford have gone public with their opposition to using eight to 10 neutral venues, which could include Wembley, to finish the season, with West Ham United, Norwich and Bournemouth also understood to be against the plans along with two clubs further up the league.

 

Which two clubs could join the Project Restart rebel alliance?

Football fans will now try to decipher which two clubs could join the bottom six in blocking the Project Restart measures.

Picking on the breadcrumbs of information dropped by the Telegraph, it seems doubtful that Southampton, Newcastle or Everton are being referenced considering their league position.

Similarly, it’s difficult to believe that Crystal Palace will join the group voting against the neutral venues.

On Sunday, on the Andrew Marr Show on the BBC, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish indicated he’s fully behind the plans to bring back Premier League football.

Early challenges to bringing back Premier League may prove "insurmountable" says Chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club Steve Parish
#Marr #Covid_19 https://t.co/wJOBLEZN8P pic.twitter.com/s6T1CTzt0T

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) May 10, 2020

If we’re to assume that the top seven in the Premier League are also backing the Project Restart plans, that leaves the following three teams: Tottenham, Arsenal and Burnley.

Yet, it’s difficult to see how Burnley could vote against the Premier League’s restart plans. Burnley have previously revealed that they’ll run out of money by August if football doesn’t return.

So does that just leave Tottenham and Arsenal?

 

Note: Don’t expect any resolution on neutral venues today

According to the Times, it’s unlikely that the 20 Premier League clubs will resolve the topic of neutral venues on Monday. The broadsheet reports:

A vote on neutral venues is not expected until next Monday and could be put back further.

 

Also see: Best Netflix, Amazon & YouTube football documentaries & movies to watch during coronavirus isolation

9 best football documentaries to watch on ESPN+ during COVID-19 quarantine

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