Coronavirus: Championship players given self-test option before training return
Written by News on 21/05/2020
Championship players will be given the option to self-test for coronavirus ahead of a planned return to training on Monday.
The EFL says it is taking a ‘flexible approach’ to testing, and has outlined three ways in which clubs will be able to check if their players are free from the virus.
Their options are: to have tests conducted by independent professionals; to have their own medical staff conduct the tests; or to allow the players to test themselves.
As part of the self-test option, players would conduct a swab test at home or at the training ground by themselves, before passing their sample onto the club to be analysed.
While players have begun to be tested for coronavirus at training grounds around the country, it is understood that less than a third of clubs will take up the EFL’s option for players to test themselves.
EFL-club talks fail to find resolution
Football League clubs are set for a fresh round of talks with the EFL after a board meeting on Wednesday that looked at three different situations currently facing the Championship, League One and League Two, in determining how to conclude the 2019/20 season.
For Championship clubs, it is all about returning to playing games. A 42-page protocol document was sent to all clubs this week, containing strict guidelines on a return to training and ultimately playing, and this was discussed at the board meeting on Wednesday.
The board members want to ensure that all bases are covered in what is an important week for the second tier of English football.
There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks, but there is a sense that the time has now arrived for decisions to be made, with a need for compromise essential.
Clubs will be required to cast aside their own agendas in some cases for the future stability of the league, and chairman Rick Parry will look to bring all sides together to achieve that.
Maguire: Training return felt ‘so safe’
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire says it felt “so safe” returning to training this week following the Premier League’s first round of coronavirus testing.
United returned to their Carrington training complex on Wednesday – two months since their last competitive match – and, although it was a change from the norm, Maguire was pleased to be back.
Asked if it was reassuring knowing everyone had been tested, Maguire told the club’s website: “Yeah, it’s been a strange few months, but it has been a protocol which the club has followed. It seems such a safe environment.
“It’s our first day back today, but it seems so safe and everyone is respecting it so well, so long may that continue and I’m sure no one will have any problems.”
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Coronavirus: Championship players given self-test option before training return
