LONDON: The Premier League returns on Wednesday after 100 days in the deep freeze, with Liverpool on the brink of winning the title in a radically changed football universe.
The English top flight follows Germany’s Bundesliga and La Liga in Spain in rebooting their seasons after the coronavirus lockdown, aiming to cram 92 games into six weeks of breathless action.
Aston Villa kick off against Sheffield United, to be followed later on Wednesday by Manchester City vs Arsenal.
Despite vocal complaints from some clubs and stars including Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, “Project Restart” has largely gone smoothly, with regular testing of players and staff yielding few positives.
But when Villa and Sheffield United kick off, the watching world will be confronted with a jarring spectacle, with an eerie silence in the usually noisy stands.
With the 2019/20 Premier League matches resuming behind closed doors from Wednesday 17 June, here is a guide to the safety measures in place for matchdays and to what fans watching at home can look out for:
The line-ups
If there is only one tunnel available at the stadium, the away team’s players will enter the pitch first, followed by the home. At some stadiums, teams may be able to use separate tunnels to enter the pitch.
Both sets of players must try to maintain social-distancing while entering the pitch.
When they line up for the Premier League anthem, rather than form a straight line as before, players will now stand in a staggered formation.
The traditional handshakes between the two teams will no longer happen and there will also be no handshakes at the coin toss.
Bigger technical areas
Trainers’ benches will be expanded to enable social-distancing during the match.
This can include using seats next to the bench or reallocating seats to provide the required distance between people. For example, substitutes can be seated in designated areas in the stands behind the benches.
Replacement balls
There are no ball assistants in behind-closed-doors matches, so if a match ball goes into the stands, the referee will decide if the ball can be retrieved without a noticeable delay.
If not, the referee will allow players to use spare balls placed around the pitch.
Medical treatment
If a player needs treatment on the pitch, any club staff performing physiotherapy or soft-tissue treatment must wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Drinks breaks
The referee will signal for drinks breaks to be taken midway through each half. The breaks should last no longer than a minute, with players drinking from their own bottles.
New rules on substitutions
Managers can make use of five substitutes during a match, instead of three, in line with the temporary law amendment made by the International Football Association Board.
