Watford’s Troy Deeney & West Ham’s Mark Noble raise objections to the Premier League’s Project Restart

Is the Premier League’s Project Restart in trouble?

Wednesday saw the latest round of discussions over Project Restart: the plan for the resumption of the 2019-20 season.

There were two conference calls on May 13.

The first included all 20 Premier League managers, while the second involved a representative from each Premier League club.

The upshot of these meetings appears to be that plans to restart the Premier League on June 12 are likely to be pushed back.

GUARDIAN SPORT: worried players voice concerns with kickoff set to be delayed #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/qIt4EPGpbr

— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 13, 2020

 

Watford’s Troy Deeney is worried about contracting Covid-19

In the Times, Watford and West Ham fans are told about a couple of specific objections to the Project Restart plans raised by respective club captains Troy Deeney and Mark Noble.

For Deeney, the Watford forward pressed for answers on how he can keep his family safe from Covid-19 should football resume:

He was told, The Times understands, that it would be safer than going to the supermarket because of testing.

Deeney replied that he has a choice when it comes to going to a supermarket.

Would Deeney refuse to return to Premier League action? That remains unclear.

For the record, Watford are fourth bottom of the Premier League and battling to stay in the league.

Also, Hornets chief executive Scott Duxbury has been vocal in his opposition to the Project Restart plans.

 

West Ham’s Mark Noble raises objections about Covid-19 testing & PPE

Meanwhile, West Ham midfielder Noble focused on the optics of the Premier League returning to action while front-line workers battle against Covid-19 without all the necessary equipment:

West Ham United’s Mark Noble had a question around the ethics of trying to resume this season when PPE remains in short supply for some NHS workers.

It should be noted, that the Premier League has agreed a £4 million deal with a Hong Kong based biotechnology company, Prenetics, regarding Covid-19 tests.

That deal means Premier League footballers wouldn’t be taking a test away from an NHS worker. However, the problematic optics may still remain.

TIMES SPORT: Managers: June 12 start too ambitious #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/cRgIePvj9q

— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 13, 2020

 

Other objections to the Premier League’s Project Restart

A range of other problems were raised over the plans to restart the 2019-20 Premier League. Those issues include:

– A lack of detail on how Premier League sides are supposed to train while allowing contact between players.

– Liability. Who will be responsible if a footballer falls ill with Covid-19?

– Waivers. Will Premier League players have to sign waiver forms agreeing to the new protocols?

– Fitness. Some managers (the Mirror say Tottenham’s Jose Mourinho and Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl) argued that they need four weeks to get their players up to speed.

– Testing. Clubs have been told to limit testing to 40 people. This is likely to force some clubs to reduce their backroom squad.

STAR SPORT: No way says Jose #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/QD756NVEXL

— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 13, 2020

 

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

Best football podcasts to listen to during coronavirus quarantine

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