The English Premier League has a plan in place to finish out its season.
It’s still at the mercy of the coronavirus pandemic, with no major decisions made, but during a meeting of league shareholders Wednesday, the EPL laid out its “Project Restart” for when it gets the nod from United Kingdom government officials.
And while the games will look drastically different without its passionate fans in the stands, they’ll be will without some of its traditions — for better or for worse.
According to an exclusive from The Guardian, the EPL sent its clubs and players a seven-page protocol outlining what a return will look like. Amid risk assessments and drive-through testing stations, strict rules are being set for during the game.
There will be no more traditional shirt-swaps with opposing players after games, and no sharing water bottles or team celebrations during it. Spitting is also not permitted, as the main area of concern for spreading bacteria during matches.
Understandable, but that will be difficult for players to remember at the moment.
The EPL, suspended in March, has 92 matches left to play in the 2019-20 season. It hopes to return to play on Friday, June 12 to finish those games across a seven-week period, finishing the unusual year by July 27.
Despite some players feeling “scared” to return, some of its clubs have already returned to their training facilities, recalling players from overseas, to prepare for full contact training as soon as May 25.
