If France ended its championship on April 30, the other major nations of European football wish to resume competition, as Germany does this weekend. But the transition from theory to practice promises to be very dangerous.
England: return from training on Monday
In England, the government approved the resumption of the Premier League on June 12. Each club will have to appoint a Covid-19 officer, who will not be part of its medical staff and who will have to deal with all issues related to the virus. Players and staff must in writing signify their agreement with the new prevention measures. If a player presents symptoms, with a positive test, he will have to isolate himself seven days, before being tested again. Training is authorized from May 18, in groups of five.
The temperature of the players will be checked every day and twice a week they will perform a Covid-19 test. They will have to go individually to the center, bringing their own protective equipment. Sessions are limited to 75 minutes, with a ban on tackling. Fields, balls, cones will be disinfected after each session. Different Premier League players, including José Mourinho, would like to postpone this recovery to June 19, so that clubs have a month to prepare properly. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also opposed an early resumption of the championship.
Spain: a smooth recovery
In Spain, the League aims to resume the championship on June 12 or 19. With the agreement of the Ministry of Health, training was able to resume last week. Players must arrive in uniform, with their own protective equipment, gloved and masked, their temperature is controlled upon arrival. Distances between players must be established. On Sunday, five players (from the first and second divisions) had tested positive. This is not a brake on the recovery, for Javier Tebas, president of the League, who was expecting around thirty infected players.
Players with the virus will be able to return to their team after two negative tests. At Real Madrid, players are divided into two groups and spread over several fields. Training is individual, with or without a ball. Phase 2 of the recovery protocol worries the players. The latter must be brought together in a complex, while being separated from their families, for a period which has not been communicated. Javier Tebas announced that there would be football every day, for 35 days, the month of August being reserved for the Champions League.
Italy: an overly restrictive protocol
The League voted for a resumption on June 13, the Italian government authorized collective training on May 18. From this date the clubs must be put in isolation. Accommodation respecting the prevention protocols must be found, with individual rooms. Thus, players will be accommodated near the training center. Following the League's vote for the recovery, the government will study a new protocol for the progress of matches. One of the points under discussion is notably the quarantine of the entire team, if only one player is tested positive. It then becomes complicated to imagine that the championship could come to an end.
Portugal: ready for June 4
In Portugal, all the clubs have already returned to the path of training. When you arrive at the center, the distance protocol is implemented, with signposted routes to avoid contact. Players train individually on halves for 45 minutes. Their temperature is taken every morning. They will be subjected to Covid-19 tests before each match. Several coaches will bring them to the stadium. They will stay in individual rooms, in hotels, chosen by the League. Eight players have tested positive for Covid-19 so far. The last ten days of the championship run from June 4 to July 19.
Belgium and the Netherlands in the France camp
In Switzerland, the League wishes to postpone the resumption from June 8 to 19, the Federal Council will make a final decision on May 27. The clubs can already train collectively since Monday, even if many have decided not to resume. In Greece, Super League president Minas Lysandrou said the championship could not start again after June 14. Ten clubs in the Greek championship have nevertheless expressed the wish to resume on this date.
The Danish championship will resume on May 28 until July 29. The Polish Football League will resume a day later, May 29, after a decision by the Prime Minister. Finally Russia resumes the championship on June 21, eight days must be played until July 22. The rules for resuming training are being discussed with the government.
The Belgian government had announced the end of the sports competitions until July 31, the Jupiter Pro League met Friday, to decide the modalities of stop of the championship (attribution of the title, relegations…). While Ajax Amsterdam was at the head of the Eredivisie, the championship of the Netherlands was ended, without appointing a champion. Finally, France, no offense to certain executives of French football, has marked the end of Ligue 1 by sacrificing Paris Saint-Germain, champion of France, for the ninth time in its history.
