Government announce they are ‘opening the door’ for Premier League to restart in June, so long as safety is pr

The government have announced they are ‘opening the door’ for English football to return in June.

Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, hosted a meeting with football authorities on Thursday to discuss plans for the Premier League and EFL restarts.

The Premier League has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic

GETTY

The Premier League has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic

Following the discussions, Dowden said in a statement:  “Today’s positive meeting I hosted with the football authorities progressed plans for the resumption of the professional game in England.

“We all agreed that we will only go ahead if it is safe to do so and the health and welfare of players, coaches and staff comes first.

“The government is opening the door for competitive football to return safely in June.

“This should include widening access for fans to view live coverage and ensure finances from the game’s resumption supports the wider football family.

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“It is now up to the football authorities to agree and finalise the detail of their plans, and there is combined goodwill to achieve this for their fans, the football community and the nation as a whole.

“The government and our medical experts will continue to offer guidance and support to the game ahead of any final decision which would put these plans into action.”

Meanwhile, Premier League players and managers have raised major concerns about restarting the season on June 12.

Under proposals known as ‘Project Restart’, games which have been suspended since March 13, players would return to full training on Monday with matches resuming next month.

Bayern Munich players back in training as the Bundesliga prepares to restart this weekend

Getty Images – Getty

Bayern Munich players back in training as the Bundesliga prepares to restart this weekend

However, a number of concerns were raised around safety protocols and having enough time to prepare for a return to action during two video conferences on Wednesday involving all 20 managers, a senior player from each side and Premier League chiefs and medical experts.

It’s claimed the Premier League are now preparing to push their target date back for a season restart by at least a week, to June 19.

Bundesliga is back. Listen to live commentary of Dortmund v Schalke at 2:30pm on talkSPORT this Saturday and and Union Berlin vs Bayern at 5pm on talkSPORT 2 this Sunday.

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