Difficulty with EPL restart (1 Viewer)

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
I’ve been putting my legal hat on and thinking through what might prevent the EFL from restarting.

I think it’s a given that all players and refs etc will need to be tested prior to restart or even training.

It’s quite likely that some positive results may come up and, those players will have to be excluded from training or self isolate / miss games.

Some clubs will be affected more than others.

I’m just grasping here, but let’s say Troy Deeney (or a family member) from Watford tests positive and misses training / games through isolation.

I don’t think I’m grasping in that he’s pivotal to Watford.
Let’s say he’s not the only one from Watford, they complete the season without him (for at least part or he’s not fit because of isolation), they get relegated (looking at the table it’s not unrealistic) - potential losses huge.

It could create a legal challenge of some sort and the fall out would be long-going.

There are so many scenarios where a situation like this could come up - Salah / Liverpool or any team dependant on a Champ League slot or near relegation.

It is possible, but I think that with so much at stake there will be huge amounts of wrangling once the chairman get legal advisors pecking their heads.

I might be wrong but it’s an angle perhaps many haven’t seen yet.
 

Terry Gibson's perm

Well-Known Member
Once normal people go back to work the players have no reason not to start playing.
 

Magwitch

Well-Known Member
But if they don’t re-start in let’s say June, when do they ? This virus will be kicking around for ages, gatherings be it sporting occasions, rock and pop concerts, weddings, theatres and cinemas won’t be happening for months. All eyes will be on the German league who kick off again I think this weekend if that after a couple of weeks is virus free we might see games re-start mid June.
 

Bertola

Well-Known Member
I’ve been putting my legal hat on and thinking through what might prevent the EFL from restarting.

I think it’s a given that all players and refs etc will need to be tested prior to restart or even training.

It’s quite likely that some positive results may come up and, those players will have to be excluded from training or self isolate / miss games.

Some clubs will be affected more than others.

I’m just grasping here, but let’s say Troy Deeney (or a family member) from Watford tests positive and misses training / games through isolation.

I don’t think I’m grasping in that he’s pivotal to Watford.
Let’s say he’s not the only one from Watford, they complete the season without him (for at least part or he’s not fit because of isolation), they get relegated (looking at the table it’s not unrealistic) - potential losses huge.

It could create a legal challenge of some sort and the fall out would be long-going.

There are so many scenarios where a situation like this could come up - Salah / Liverpool or any team dependant on a Champ League slot or near relegation.

It is possible, but I think that with so much at stake there will be huge amounts of wrangling once the chairman get legal advisors pecking their heads.

I might be wrong but it’s an angle perhaps many haven’t seen yet.

What is the difference between a "normal" injury and missing games due to Corona?

I appreciate the seriousness of the disease, and I'm not trying to play that down, but players miss games due to injury all the time, and there aren't legal challenges because of results picked up
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
In legal terms what would be the difference between a player missing games because they have covid-19 and a player missing games because they had some other illness?
 

skybluesam66

Well-Known Member
In legal terms what would be the difference between a player missing games because they have covid-19 and a player missing games because they had some other illness?
1985 and when we played our last 3 games after the end of the season - that was down to flu cancellations earlier on
 

better days

Well-Known Member
If clubs vote to go ahead this will have been factored in so any legal action would fail
British Airways are saying they don't expect to be back to normal till 2023
Do players want to wait till then to come back?
 

wingy

Well-Known Member
If clubs vote to go ahead this will have been factored in so any legal action would fail
British Airways are saying they don't expect to be back to normal till 2023
Do players want to wait till then to come back?
I'd guess there are plenty at the top end of the game who won't go hungry if they never play again .
Especially those at the tail end of their careers.
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
The biggest issue I have with stopping the season, irrespective of if you void or go PPG, is that you're setting precedent. You're saying lose 6 weeks and its not possible to run the season.

At the moment nobody has a clue when things will be back to normal so what happens if we get to mid-September and haven't started next season, do we abandon that one as well?
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
I’ve been putting my legal hat on and thinking through what might prevent the EFL from restarting.

I think it’s a given that all players and refs etc will need to be tested prior to restart or even training.

It’s quite likely that some positive results may come up and, those players will have to be excluded from training or self isolate / miss games.

Some clubs will be affected more than others.

I’m just grasping here, but let’s say Troy Deeney (or a family member) from Watford tests positive and misses training / games through isolation.

I don’t think I’m grasping in that he’s pivotal to Watford.
Let’s say he’s not the only one from Watford, they complete the season without him (for at least part or he’s not fit because of isolation), they get relegated (looking at the table it’s not unrealistic) - potential losses huge.

It could create a legal challenge of some sort and the fall out would be long-going.

There are so many scenarios where a situation like this could come up - Salah / Liverpool or any team dependant on a Champ League slot or near relegation.

It is possible, but I think that with so much at stake there will be huge amounts of wrangling once the chairman get legal advisors pecking their heads.

I might be wrong but it’s an angle perhaps many haven’t seen yet.

I do see your point but would that be any different to say picking up an injury that kept him out for the rest of the season? It's one of those things that you have to accept happens, just like you could end up playing every team when they're bang in form while another gets them on a bad one.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
Test Quarantine test train play.

I've been banging the drum that the season should finish.
However a point I heard raised the other day gave me food for thought and that was the number of tests football needs to finish the season.
League one alone was something like 60 thousand.
Can we justify using hundreds of thousands of tests for football when we're not hitting targets for the rest of society?

Germany seem to have nailed the testing which is probably why they've been able to put something in place for the Bundesleague
 

Paxman II

Well-Known Member
Once normal people go back to work the players have no reason not to start playing.

No Michael it's a contact sport. People may go back to work under new restrictive guidelines. i.e. A car factory where 2 or three guys can social distance working to put a windscreen in or bolt in the fuel tanks etc. No contact. That will be the next step in the process. The football world simply can't do that.
 

steve cooper

Well-Known Member
I've been banging the drum that the season should finish.
However a point I heard raised the other day gave me food for thought and that was the number of tests football needs to finish the season.
League one alone was something like 60 thousand.
Can we justify using hundreds of thousands of tests for football when we're not hitting targets for the rest of society?

Germany seem to have nailed the testing which is probably why they've been able to put something in place for the Bundesleague
I can't see how the figure of 60,000 tests has come about. There are 106 games left to play in L1 not counting the playoffs which would be an extra 5 games.
Even at 100 tests per game (which would probably be more than enough) it only comes to 11,100 tests. That would cover both sets of players and some of the essential staff. And as these are outside events those that could keep their 2M distance wouldn't need testing.
And those tests would be over a 6 to 8 week period
 
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clint van damme

Well-Known Member
I can't see how the figure of 60,000 tests has come about. There are 106 games left to play in L1 not counting the playoffs which would be an extra 5 games.
Even at 100 tests per game (which would probably be more than enough) it only comes to 11,100 tests. That would cover both sets of players and some of the essential staff. And as these are outside events those that could keep their 2M distance wouldn't need testing.

Would work out 600 per game roughly which does seem high though 100 seems low.
Everyone in the ground would need testing including media, medical staff, officials etc plus at least initially everyone would need testing twice.

And if you're whole squad is training in the week wouldn't those that don't make the match day 16 also need testing regularly?
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
Would work out 600 per game roughly which does seem high though 100 seems low.
Everyone in the ground would need testing including media, medical staff, officials etc plus at least initially everyone would need testing twice.

And if you're whole squad is training in the week wouldn't those that don't make the match day 16 also need testing regularly?
Just a thought ‘but I’m sure People returning to work in factories, shops, warehouses, offices etc
Will not be regularly tested ‘yet footballers will,
 

wingy

Well-Known Member
I've been banging the drum that the season should finish.
However a point I heard raised the other day gave me food for thought and that was the number of tests football needs to finish the season.
League one alone was something like 60 thousand.
Can we justify using hundreds of thousands of tests for football when we're not hitting targets for the rest of society?

Germany seem to have nailed the testing which is probably why they've been able to put something in place for the Bundesleague
Unless I'm getting it wrong ,I'm working on the assumption that by quarantine and the passage of time then testing of all participants and maintaining that quarantine throughout you remove the requirement for continued testing?
 

steve cooper

Well-Known Member
Would work out 600 per game roughly which does seem high though 100 seems low.
Everyone in the ground would need testing including media, medical staff, officials etc plus at least initially everyone would need testing twice.

And if you're whole squad is training in the week wouldn't those that don't make the match day 16 also need testing regularly?
But wouldn't medical staff have PPE? admittedly anyone likely to come into direct contact with players would need testing but how many is that in reality? do the media come into contact with players? and aren't they a nice-to have?
22 players + 10 substitutes, 2 x Manager, 4 x officials, 10 x medical staff, a few others, max 10 per side. No ball boys (players can fetch their own ball). Any media can keep well clear. That is per game. Players might vary on a game to game basis but there could be only 16 involved on match days. Some clubs are already training and keeping social distance, it would just mean that teams would have to keep their distance in team talks etc. and wouldn't have the luxury of full training matches. Tests to be conducted before games only. Could it be done something like that?
 

Terry Gibson's perm

Well-Known Member
No Michael it's a contact sport. People may go back to work under new restrictive guidelines. i.e. A car factory where 2 or three guys can social distance working to put a windscreen in or bolt in the fuel tanks etc. No contact. That will be the next step in the process. The football world simply can't do that.


Well the other solution is they call it quits and football returns when they have a vaccine, obviously the players will rip up their contracts and get other jobs until the return.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
But wouldn't medical staff have PPE? admittedly anyone likely to come into direct contact with players would need testing but how many is that in reality? do the media come into contact with players? and aren't they a nice-to have?
22 players + 10 substitutes, 2 x Manager, 4 x officials, 10 x medical staff, a few others, max 10 per side. No ball boys (players can fetch their own ball). Any media can keep well clear. That is per game. Players might vary on a game to game basis but there could be only 16 involved on match days. Some clubs are already training and keeping social distance, it would just mean that teams would have to keep their distance in team talks etc. and wouldn't have the luxury of full training matches. Tests to be conducted before games only. Could it be done something like that?

Wouldn't everyone who's involved in training need testing or do you make it like the world cup, select the squad and keep them together for the duration.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
Unless I'm getting it wrong ,I'm working on the assumption that by quarantine and the passage of time then testing of all participants and maintaining that quarantine throughout you remove the requirement for continued testing?

It would depend on who's involved in training in the week id imagine.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
Just a thought ‘but I’m sure People returning to work in factories, shops, warehouses, offices etc
Will not be regularly tested ‘yet footballers will,

Exactly. And that's where the questions about the ethics of it arise.
There are key workers who haven't been tested.
 

thekidfromstrettoncamp

Well-Known Member
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Terry Gibson's perm

Well-Known Member
I have to say relegation seems a fair option it seems every team who doesn’t want to play has a reason they don’t want to get relegated they don’t give a shit about the players. The permier league needs a refresh and it’s a good way to do it, the top league will never miss the likes of Brighton or Burnley.
My personal preference is the two up none down, also with Bury going how is the league planning to get back to it’s full quota.
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
People may go back to work under new restrictive guidelines. i.e. A car factory where 2 or three guys can social distance working to put a windscreen in or bolt in the fuel tanks etc. No contact. That will be the next step in the process. The football world simply can't do that.
Just a thought ‘but I’m sure People returning to work in factories, shops, warehouses, offices etc
Will not be regularly tested ‘yet footballers will,
This is what I don't understand. At the moment anyone can go to work, the only advise is work from home if you can. The advise once you're at work is observe social distancing where possible.
With the exception of some non-essential shops and public venues, we are not asking any other businesses to close – indeed it is important for business to carry on.

All workers are encouraged to keep working and should be working from home if they can.

In your workplace you need to observe, where possible, the social distancing guidance.
What in that stops a BCD game taking place now, or indeed anyone in general going back to work? Find all this talk about when people are going to be allowed back to work and what restrictions need to be put in place to make it safe a bit odd. Its luck of the draw as to how safe your employer wants to make it for you when you return.
 

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