Government warned 'five to 10' EFL clubs could go into administration

by PA

Dunfermline have released 17 players amid increasing uncertainty over whether lower-division football will take place in Scotland next season.

The Scottish Championship club say they are not in a position to hand out any new contracts. Lee Ashcroft, Tom Beadling, Danny Devine, Paul Paton, Ryan Scully, Joe Thomson and Andy Ryan are among the players departing.

Championship clubs are expected to meet next week to discuss the prospects for next season, while Hearts owner Ann Budge is still working on plans for potential league reconstruction after her club were consigned to relegation from the Premiership.

A Dunfermline statement read: "All Scottish football clubs are now faced with challenging and uncertain times.

"As a consequence of this continued uncertainty, we are afraid to announce that unfortunately our club will not be in a position to offer new contracts, at this time, to any of the players who are out of contract over the coming days.

"As we don't know when we will be playing games again we have no other option but to protect the future of the club itself. This has not been an easy decision to make, being aware of the impact this may have.

"We would like to offer our very best wishes to all of the players and their families, as well as thanking them for their services to our club."

by PA

The results from the first round of Covid-19 testing among Championship players is set to be published on Sunday.

Second-tier clubs are set to start small group training from Monday amid the coronavirus pandemic, after players underwent initial tests on Thursday and Friday.

The English Football League will publish how many tests were conducted, and the number of positive tests, if any.

Championship clubs' testing procedures will be done in a combination of ways - some by independent testers, some by club medical staff and some will ask players to self-test.

The EFL says the accuracy of the tests meet Government guidelines. Championship clubs as a group have indicated a desire to complete the 2019-20 season and will be hoping to resume the campaign at some point next month ideally with a view to finishing it by July 31.

League One and Two players have not been tested and therefore cannot return to training on Monday.

There is disagreement among League One clubs over whether to play on or curtail the season, with AFC Wimbledon the latest side to set out their position.

In a statement released on Friday afternoon, the club appeared to indicate they were ready to vote for curtailment, saying "we will not vote for any outcome that potentially endangers the health of our players and staff or puts clubs under further financial strain".

The cost of testing was cited as one of the reasons why League Two clubs indicated a preference to curtail the campaign at their level last Friday.

The EFL has published the return-to-training (RTT) protocol, which sets out the need for tests to be conducted on a twice-weekly basis.

There is also guidance around what club staff should do when they are at the training ground, with social distancing to be maintained at all times during this phase of the return to training.

Players will have their temperature checked and be asked to complete a medical questionnaire, communal areas of training grounds such as canteens must remain closed, but clubs may open kitchens to offer players the option to take food home.

The protocol recommends the introduction of a one-way system to avoid unintentional close contact, and asks all club staff to refrain from spitting.

Tactical meetings should be conducted via teleconference or video conference, and staff performing necessary treatment on players are advised to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

by PA

Watford defender Christian Kabasele believes the potential Premier League return date of June 12 would be "impossible" and that action should not resume until later that month.

'Project Restart' is well under way as the English top flight attempts to resume action amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Phase one of small group training, respecting social distancing began this week after being voted through by clubs after testing got under way.

Defender Adrian Mariappa and two members of Watford's staff returning positive Covid-19 tests ahead of the resumption of training, which Kabasele says cannot be rushed due to the threat of injury.

"Nothing has been confirmed yet," he said of the Premier League's return. "Personally I follow the news through the media because nothing has been official for the moment.

"We (see) speak about June 12. I think it is impossible because it would be less than three weeks training after a long period without doing anything, it's a risk for us.

"I'm not sure, I don't have any information but I think we are not going to start June 12.

"The most obvious choice for me is the end of June. Like this you have at least four weeks to train with the team if it's possible. We will see. For the moment it's a big question mark on this."

 

The English Football League has set out its testing and return-to-training protocols, with the first results from Covid-19 tests among Championship players set to be published on Sunday.

Currently only the second tier has indicated a collective desire to continue the 2019-20 season and tests were conducted on Thursday and Friday.

The EFL confirmed there will be a combination of testing procedures, made up of independent testing, some conducted by club medical staff and an element of players self-testing.

It said the accuracy of the tests would be within Government guidelines.

By AP

Novak Djokovic is planning to set up a series of tennis tournaments in the Balkan region while the sport is suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The top-ranked player's media team says the Adria Tour will start in Belgrade on June 13 and end on July 5 with Djokovic's exhibition match against Bosnian player Damir Dzumhur in Sarajevo. The other events are scheduled for the Croatian Adriatic resort of Zadar, Montenegro and Banja Luka in northern Bosnia.

Djokovic will play in all of the round robin tournaments. The other participants are to include Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov.

Organizers left open the possibility that the "humanitarian" tour could be played in front of spectators.

No professional tennis tournaments have been played since March. The French Open has been postponed and Wimbledon has been canceled because of the coronavirus.

By PA

Ascot has unveiled the running order for this year's Royal meeting, with six extra races added to the fixture along with changes to the timing of some of the feature events.

The coronavirus shutdown has forced a number of switches to be made to the showpiece meeting, which is scheduled to kick off on June 16 and will be held behind closed doors.

Seven races are planned on the first four days, with eight on the final day highlighted by the St James's Palace and Coronation Stakes.

The mile events would usually be held on Tuesday and Friday respectively, but with the delayed start to the campaign, they have been moved to the final day to create a bigger gap from the Guineas meeting, which is due to be staged on June 6 and 7.

The Queen Anne and King's Stand Stakes remain in their usual slots on the first afternoon, but will be joined by the King Edward VII Stakes and Ribblesdale Stakes, which will now be key Derby and Oaks trials ahead of Epsom's planned meeting on July 4.

The Hampton Court, also an eligible Epsom trial this year, will be run on day two.

In order to provide two-year-olds with as much time as possible before the key races at Royal Ascot, the juvenile programme has been moved back with four of the six races to be staged on Friday and Saturday.

The Windsor Castle Stakes will be contested on Wednesday and the Chesham on Thursday, with the Norfolk and Albany on Friday and the Queen Mary and Coventry on Saturday.

New handicap opportunities have been added with the Buckingham Palace, which was lost from the card when the Commonwealth Cup was introduced in 2015, opening the meeting.

A Silver Royal Hunt Cup over a mile and a six-furlong Silver Wokingham Handicap will be staged, with three other races added for just 2020 - the Copper Horse Handicap over 14 furlongs for four-year-olds and over, the 10-furlong Golden Gates Handicap for three-year-olds and the five-furlong Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap, also for three-year-olds.

The British Horseracing Authority is currently planning a June 1 resumption, subject to Government approval, but Nick Smith, Ascot's director of racing and public affairs, underlined the venue is not taking that clearance for granted.

By Reuters

This is a very interesting video from Ian Ransom on the ins and outs of Australia's efforts to get sport back up and running. As he says, fans are about to go from "famine to feast".

 A huge boost for the 15-a-side game. 

England bowler Chris Woakes has welcomed the return of some familiar aches and pains after getting back to training for the first time since March.

Woakes is one of 18 bowlers selected by the England and Wales Cricket Board to begin individual sessions this week, as the sport progresses gently towards a possible restart in July. After bowling at Edgbaston on Thursday he said:

It was nice to have some form of normality by going back to some training. It was nice to be back and feel a little sore this morning.

It looks a lot different to what we're used to but, with what's everyone's been through, it was quite nice to be out there and get the ball back in hand. It's been two months since I last bowled and it was nice to be back in the middle, albeit a little different.

Obviously not having bowled for two months, there's a few things that are sore. The sides definitely woke up this morning knowing I'd had a bowl yesterday but it was just nice to be back out there.

By PA Sport

Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear has claimed it would be a "national embarrassment" if England's top two divisions could not complete their seasons while major leagues across Europe return to action.

Kinnear, writing in the Yorkshire Evening Post, said the Championship leaders are eager to complete the campaign on the pitch, even if curtailment would see them secure promotion on a points-per-game basis.

And, pointing to the Bundesliga's return last weekend, Kinnear said it was vital that both the Premier League and the Championship - which ranks as one of the world's biggest leagues in terms of attendance - see the campaign out on the pitch.

"England had some of the finest sports scientists and football administrators in the game and the time has come for us as a sport to stop repeatedly framing the challenges and start delivering on the solution," Kinnear wrote.

"It would be a national embarrassment if the Bundesliga, La Liga or Serie A were to be able to complete safely and the first and fifth biggest leagues in the world were not able to follow suit if the context remained comparable."

He added: "If Leeds United wanted to be opportunist we could have seized on this 'point per game' commitment to push for an early curtailment in concert with some already very vocal self-interests.

"However, our intention has always been to do all we can to complete this season where we started it - on the pitch."

By PA Sport

Super League clubs hope to resume their season in August and have set an ambitious target of playing in front of fans again as soon as October.

The competition was suspended in March as part of the wider coronavirus lockdown but three plans have now been drafted by the 12 teams, paving the way for a restart.

The PA news agency understands each version concludes with a grand final – in November, December or January respectively – and with final standings based around 22, 24 or 28 matches depending on the model. The plans are due to be formally submitted for consideration by the Rugby Football League next week.

The proposed return date of August 16 is seen as crucial to minimise any rebate due to Sky Sports, which holds broadcast rights through to the end of the 2021 campaign, but there is also a clear willingness to bring fans back as well as fixtures.

While both football and cricket are essentially working with behind-closed-doors scenarios for the forseeable future, there are signs Super League is entertaining a more optimistic timetable.

Season ticket-holder revenues and matchday receipts are of vital importance to the clubs and the apparent willingness to consider a later than expected programme could be explained by a shared desire to host as many matches as possible with supporters.

October 1 is the stated date for the earliest possible opening of the turnstiles, though as with the rest of the details that remains dependent on government guidance, health advice and the wider societal spread of Covid-19.

Given the average attendances at most Super League fixtures and the comparative size of the stadiums involved, social distancing measures could potentially be undertaken without substantially compromising attendances.

Super League chief executive Robert Elstone issued an open letter on Thursday evening, in which he underlined the importance of a live crowd.

“We are now at a stage where we have three advanced models, based around a season restart date of mid-August, differentiated largely on when we expect the season to end,” he wrote.

“These plans will be refined over the short term as we learn lessons from the relaxation of social distancing, the return to work, the re-start of other sports and the general trend of virus spread and control.

“Whilst it is as certain as it can be that our restart will take place behind closed doors, what is most important to you and us is when fans will be allowed back into our stadiums.

“Speculation on that date, and there is an absence of any well-informed ‘best-estimates’, has been factored into our fixture planning with a greater number of games scheduled towards the end of the projected season. In addition, work has already begun on crowd management in a Covid environment to ensure we’re as ready as we can be when the opportunity first arises.

“As has been evident from the welcome return of the Bundesliga, sport is almost unrecognisable without its fans. But it is better than no sport and it will, if it goes well, set a precedent for us and other sports to follow.”

A very interesting statement, here. Are we coming closer to a global rugby union season?

Following the World Rugby meetings in March this year, SANZAAR and the Six Nations (“the Nations”) have been working closely over the lockdown period against a set of key principles between the parties, to develop and agree proposals for an aligned global calendar.

Even though there may be different preferences, from the outset the Nations have adopted a mindset that has sought to eliminate self-interest and recognise that the international and club game have shared mutual benefits that if approached and managed correctly can enable both to flourish.

A further consultation process, in total transparency with unions, clubs and players, will commence as all parties work towards an aligned global calendar that can deliver a clear and coherent narrative.

The key principles that have underpinned the work to date are:

1. Significantly mitigate overlaps between club and country fixtures

2. Better aligned player release windows for players, stakeholders and competitions

3. Improve player welfare

4. Improve narrative and competitiveness of International and Domestic Competitions around clear windows

5. Define clear high-performance pathways for Emerging Nations through the delivery of an internationally more inclusive game

6. Evolve competition structures that are underpinned with enhanced commercial offerings

7. Restore public faith in the core values of rugby and showing strong collective leadership in the best interests of the game.

The Nations together with other key stakeholders remain open to shape the options that have been developed in an effort to resolve an issue that has held the game back for many years and are committed to putting rugby on a progressive path.

By Sam Dean

Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool captain, has voiced his support for the players who have chosen not to return to training as he said no footballers should feel “forced or pressured” to play.

Watford captain Troy Deeney and Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante have stayed away from training this week due to their concerns over the safety of the Premier League’s Project Restart.

Henderson, who has emerged as one of the leading player voices during the coronavirus crisis, told Sky Sports that he would support any of his Liverpool team-mates who did not want to return to action.

"I fully respect their opinion and their decision to do that," Henderson said of the players who have expressed their concerns. “I think everybody is in a different situation with their family and at home.

"Ultimately, if you don’t feel comfortable or safe, you should not feel forced or pressured to come into work."

Read the full story.

Snooker will become the first professional sport to return in Britain with an 11-day free-to-air televised tournament to begin on June 1.

Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Mark Allen and Kyren Wilson are among those confirmed to take part in Championship League Snooker, which will see 64 of the world's best players battle for a top prize of £30,000 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

All players, staff and contractors must return a negative coronavirus test prior to entering the venue, which has been selected because there is accommodation on site.

Players and referees will be told to keep two metres apart where possible, while they must use hand sanitiser before games and refrain from shaking hands during the tournament, which will be shown on ITV4.

More details here.

By Sam Dean

Danish side AGF Aarhus will convert their home ground into a “virtual stadium” for the first match of the country's restarted campaign, by allowing supporters into the game through video platform Zoom.

The club said supporters will be able to join 22 different sections, including a virtual away section, in the stands of their Ceres Park stadium.

Screens in the middle of the stadium will show the supporters during the match, with AGF saying this will allow the players to “see and feel the support from the living rooms directly at the stadium”.

Fans will not be charged for a “ticket” to join one of the Zoom stands and will be gathered in a conference call with other supporters in their section.

Read the full story.

By AFP

A senior Olympics official has warned that holding the postponed Tokyo Games next year faces "real problems", with even a vaccine unlikely to stave off the threat of the coronavirus.

John Coates, the International Olympic Committee's pointman for Tokyo 2020, indicated that officials would start deciding in October if and how the pandemic-hit Games could go ahead in July 2021.

He told a roundtable organised by Australian media giant News Corp that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been clear the Tokyo Olympics could not be delayed a second time.

"We can't postpone it again and we have to assume that there won't be a vaccine or, if there is a vaccine, it won't be sufficient to share around the world," he said.

Without the safety net of a widely available vaccine, there could be enormous challenges in screening tens of thousands of people from all corners of the world, he said.

"We've got real problems because we've got athletes having to come from 206 different nations," said Coates.

"We've got 11,000 athletes coming, 5,000 technical officials and coaches, 20,000 media, we've got 4,000 working on the organising committee there at the moment, there will be 60,000 volunteers coming," he said.

"There's a lot of people."

Coates said if there are signs the pandemic is contained, even if not eradicated, by October, officials will start preparing "the different scenarios by which the sport could take place".

"Do we quarantine the Olympic village? Do all athletes when they get there go into quarantine? Do we restrict having spectators at the venues? Do we separate the athletes from the mixed zone where the media are?"

By Reuters

India’s cricket board will not push for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia to be postponed but would consider staging the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the October/November slot if it becomes available, a senior BCCI official has told Reuters.

This year’s IPL, which is worth almost $530 million to the BCCI, has been indefinitely postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic while the World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on October 18, is also in jeopardy.

Reports in Australian media have suggested India’s influential board may look to push for the World Cup to be postponed to open up a window for the IPL.

World Cup contingency plans are on the agenda at next week’s International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting but BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal said India would not be recommending it be pushed back.

“Why should the BCCI suggest postponing the Twenty20 World Cup?” Dhumal told Reuters by telephone.

“We’ll discuss it in the meeting and whatever is appropriate, (the ICC) will take a call.

“If the Australia government announces that the tournament will happen and Cricket Australia is confident they can handle it, it will be their call. BCCI would not suggest anything.”

"We are working to be the first sport back on tele­vision." Those were the words uttered on March 23 by Darren Childs,  Premiership Rugby’s  chief executive, just hours before the lockdown that would tip his sport into a maelstrom of existential angst.

Almost nine weeks on, rugby union looks likely to be the last major sport to mount a successful resumption, sabotaged both by its inherent susceptibility to a virus that thrives on close human contact and by an alarming lack of direction from its leaders.

Oliver Brown column's looks at rugby's administrative struggles and uncertainty.

Out of the mayhem of a global pandemic, the Football Association has been presented with an unwanted, unforeseen, but potentially exciting opportunity.

Read Jamie's column, which urges a radical new format, right here.