London (AFP)
The British government hopes the Premier League can resume in mid-June, Secretary of State for Sports Oliver Dowden said on Monday, although he insisted that "public safety" was the priority.
"I had very productive discussions on Thursday with the federation (FA), the Football League (EFL) and the Premier League. We are working hard with them to try to come back, aiming for mid-June, but the number one criterion one will be public safety, "he told Sky Sports.
"If we manage to settle this, we can come back in mid-June. We are making satisfactory progress," said the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, Culture, Media and Sports.
A general assembly of Premier League clubs is meeting on Monday and is expected to vote to approve a resumption of training protocol that would allow small group exercises of 5 as early as Tuesday, press reports said.
The last game of the English elite was played on March 9 but the Premier League hopes to finish its season by playing the remaining 92 games on the calendar.
Project Restart initially planned a return to collective training on Monday and a resumption of matches on June 9, but it has lagged behind various reservations about health security or the conditions for resumption, such as matches on neutral grounds. . The target date would now be June 12.
During the weekend, Newcastle coach Steve Bruce had however considered that this date should be postponed to allow players to get back into shape.
They will "fall like a house of cards" due to injuries, he said, if the matches resume before the end of June, he said in the Sunday Telegraph.
© 2020 AFP