“The government allows soccer matches to be resumed in June,” Oliver Dowden, UK Secretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, said after meeting with soccer authorities on Thursday (5/14/2020) quoted by Reuters via Kompas. com
The Premier League follows La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga who are already planning to resume the league. La Liga is planned to roll again on 12 June. Similarly, Serie A is planning to roll back on June 13.
Unfortunately, despite being given further permission in June, it is unclear when the Premier League will resume competition delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Until now the certainty when the Premier League can be held back is still a debate.
The FA and Premier League authorities have been cautious in determining the certainty of league kickoff. So what is the cause of the FA and Premier League not as firm as other leagues in determining its kickoff again? There are at least 3 factors inhibiting the continuation of the Premier League. Following the review:
Government
Want to plan like anything, government support is absolutely owned. Without the support or permission of the British government, the Premier League could not kickoff anymore. .
Since the beginning the FA and league authorities have complied with government decisions including temporarily stopping the league since March 13. This decision is indeed right. Several league players and coaches have tested positive for corona.
England has begun to improve. Curving positive cases are increasingly sloping to make the British government to give the blessing of the Premier League to be resumed in June.
Indeed the discourse of continuing the league has been discussed for a long time. In fact, as reported by The Guardian, the culture secretary and the British foreign minister want the football competition to return to rolling as soon as possible. Football is considered to have an economic impact and can lift the spirit of the nation.
Health Protocol
After a permit from the government, the next obstacle is the health protocol that must be obeyed. This is not easy, the article NHS (UK National Health Service) will definitely apply strict rules. This rule will also target all parties who will be involved in the league.
The problem is how to return football to a safe place and can run with minimal risk? Remember, soccer cannot be contested without physical contact.
So the first thing to ensure is the health of each party involved in the league. Covid-19 test is a first step. K-League and Bundesliga can be an example for the Premier League.
However, the Premier League has its own problems. According to Paul McInnes, journalist for The Guardian, it takes up to more than 40,000 tests for approximately 10 weeks.
Premier League still have to undergo 9-10 weeks of matches, plus a period of preparation for the re-kickoff, then the number of tests needed can be more. This can make the public disagree if players and Premier League staff have access to the Covid-19 test while health workers (nakes) at the front lines cannot get that access.
After the first protocol is enforced, the next problem is making sure football can be run safely. The issue was that the match was held without spectators.
Besides holding matches without spectators, stadium sterilization is also absolutely necessary. Of course, with no spectators and matches planned to be held at a neutral venue will make the club lose because they can not get income from ticket money.
Players and coaches
If all permits and protocols have been made, the next thing is to make sure the players can get back to training. Unfortunately, Britain is behind. La Liga and Serie A players have been training at their respective training centers since early May.
Unfortunately the Premier League clubs are not compact about the start date of training. Some have started training since May 12 and some are still waiting until May 18.
At least that is the 3 factors inhibiting the continuation of the English league. Apart from the 3 factors above, there is one more thing that underlies why the Premier League still wants to continue the competition.
Financial reasons are the basis. The club is losing money, because their biggest income is broadcast rights but since there is no match the broadcasting rights money they cannot get.
Apart from financial problems, if there is no certainty of the league there will be many clubs losing performance. Liverpool for example, the league title which is only 6 points away has not yet been reported. Norwich City through its Technical Director feels the club will lose if the relegation system remains in the midst of a pandemic.
England have succeeded in suppressing the number of positive cases in Covid-19 and hopefully the Premier League kickoff can be held again without any problems in the future.
