Premier League matches could be held without fans for 12 months as medical officer provides warning

Empty stands are set to become a familiar sight at Premier League stadiums
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

The Premier League is facing the prospect of matches behind closed doors for the whole of next season after its medical officer, Dr. Mark Gillet, warned that social distancing in elite football would remain in place until there is a coronavirus vaccine.

A number of players and managers have expressed concern at the pace of developments, urging caution, but Gillet warned clubs that "the public health situation" is unlikely to change for at least six months, paving the way for a "new normal" for football for the foreseeable future.

"I've been lucky enough to sit on the Departure for Culture, Media and Sport [cross-sports working] group with a very high level of medical input from Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer's department," Gillet, who has drawn-up the "Phase One" training protocols in conjunction with club doctors, told a video press conference.

"They've made it very clear that the social situation, the public health situation is not going to change over the next six to 12 months.

"We're going to be looking to make the same kind of cultural changes at training grounds and in footballers' behaviours whether we have this conversation now or at any point this year.

"It is important that people understand that. The only way that you can eliminate risk completely is to lock yourself in the house.

"In terms of [finding and distributing] a vaccine and everybody becoming immune, I don’t think any expert is saying that’s going to happen in the next few months, so certainly in terms of social distancing and the "new normal" and that cultural change we are asking footballers to make, I think we are going to have to be facing that for the foreseeable future.

"I think that’s an important point to get across."

Asked if the whole of next season could therefore be without fans, Masters said: "We simply don’t know and we are reliant on Government and medical advice. It is prudent for us to plan for the start of next season in different ways and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

"The conversations on next season will take place at a future date."

All top-flight players and staff were tested for coronavirus on Sunday and Monday, and the Premier League expects to receive the results by 2pm BST on Tuesday before releasing clubs for "Phase One" no-contact training.

Watford striker Troy Deeney has questioned the ethics of testing players twice weekly until the end of the season while some key workers remain without access to tests and predicted footballers will become lightning rods for public anger.

But Gillet played down the concerns and revealed he has been working on the NHS frontline to "keep some perspective".

He said: "I’ve actually been working in the NHS on the frontline for the last four weeks so I could see what it was like for myself. There hasn’t been a problem with staff accessing tests if they needed it. I can’t comment on the national situation, but I can comment and speak as I find, and that’s how I found it.

"We are working on a frequency that is on advice from the Government. Certainly we don’t want to waste a test and we’re sourcing these tests independently of any NHS supplies, so we won’t be compromising them in any way or form."

Masters added: "I don’t think we would be doing it unless the Government were entirely comfortable that the things we were doing were not a burden on the national effort."

Deeney has also highlighted the increased risk to BAME players, with figures from the ONS showing that black men and women are more than twice as likely to die from coronavirus than white men and women.

"It's a fair thing to acknowledge that there is an increased risk in BAME groups," Gillet said. "But in mitigation of that the risk, in young fit athletes is still very, very small and I think that is an important factor."

Under the "Phase One" protocols, players must observe strict social distancing at all times, including arriving and leaving in their kit, bringing their own drinks and cleaning equipment if they used the gym. Sessions must be limited to 75 minutes, with tactical briefings strongly discouraged.

Richard Garlick, the Premier League's director of football, revealed the Premier League wants to install an independent inspector at every training ground to ensure clubs are obeying the guidelines.

"We can request information from videoing of the sessions and GPS data," Garlick said. "We are also looking at bringing in our own independent audit inspection team that we’ll scale up over the next few days which will give us the ability to have inspections at training grounds to start with on a no-notice basis.

"Gradually, we aim to ramp that up so we can have an inspector at every training ground.

In Pictures | Tottenham players back in training | 16/05/2020

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"That will enable us to give everyone confidence that the protocols are being complied with, and give the public confidence that we are trying to create a very safe working environment."

Masters also revealed that discussions were "ongoing" over completing the season at all 20 club grounds, and said it was "interesting to note" that supporters did not gather outside stadiums in Germany as the Bundesliga resumed at the weekend.

He added that the Premier League was encouraged by the Bundesliga's restart but said it was planning a "different approach" to televised matches behind closed doors.

"That was one of the things we were able to talk to clubs today," he said. "We have group of clubs and broadcasters working together on that."

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