Report: EPL team training rules include no tackling, disinfected pitches
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The Premier League sent its protocol for the first phase of team training to players and managers on Tuesday and wants to begin the sessions next Monday, according to BBC Sport's Dan Roan.
Various measures have been created to reduce the chance of the coronavirus spreading at clubs' training bases, such as banning tackling and disinfecting pitches, corner flags, goalposts, and other training equipment.
The official paperwork stresses that social distancing must be "strictly observed" by Premier League squads.
Players are set to undergo questionnaires and temperature checks when they arrive at training each day and will be tested for COVID-19 twice a week. Their test results will be maintained in a central register, subject to consent from the players and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).
Players are also recommended to follow "meticulous personal hygiene," to use personal protective equipment, and to avoid "congregation in communal areas, including but not limited to medical rooms and gym areas." Squad members can't share transport and the interior of their personal vehicles must be cleaned regularly.
The PFA is informing footballers of the Premier League's proposed medical protocols to return them to match fitness while ensuring their safety during the pandemic. The players have been given a "condensed" 40-page document with the information, according to Roan.
Clubs are restricted to 75-minute sessions if the green light is given to start training on Monday. Players aren't allowed to work in groups larger than five and there will be no tackling. Government approval will be needed for the Premier League to move onto the next stage of training, which would permit contact.
The players, Premier League, medical staff, and PFA will meet on Wednesday to discuss the medical protocols. The Premier League's "Project Restart" could be met with resistance after a number of players expressed concern to the PFA about the risks of returning to action.