As the Bundesliga gets set to resume next weekend, the majority of Premier League clubs hope they will not be far behind albeit with neutral venues hosting the action.
Yet although Project Restart has come a long way in the last couple of weeks, significant hurdles still need to be cleared before English football is ready to be beamed to television audiences the world over once more.
It has long been recognised that staging the remaining 92 Premier League fixtures in front of supporters would be impossible.
The latest proposal is for all matches to be held at neutral venues, with eight to 10 stadiums expected to be used.
The Premier League is keen to treat all clubs fairly and therefore plans to carefully take distance and travel time into account before assigning games to grounds.
They are also eyeing grounds that are far away from urban areas, with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium held up as a good example. A majority of clubs are behind the idea.
Some are keen to complete the campaign, because they are in a healthy position and on the verge of either winning the title in Liverpool’s case or qualifying for the Champions League like Leicester City.
Others want to protect the sporting integrity of the division, while Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish astutely pointed out the financial danger facing all clubs if the 2019-20 season is simply cancelled.
Perhaps the biggest driving force behind the desire to return is a collective concern over the league’s lucrative broadcasting deals.
None of the Premier League’s three major broadcasting partners – Sky Sports, BT Sport and beIN SPORTS – have released any sort of official statement to this end, but clubs fear that they may ask for refunds if the season does not return.
Brighton and Villa chiefs against neutral venues
Moreover, the broadcasters could seek a renegotiation of the final two years of the existing rights deal, which would lead to a significant drop in revenue across the board.
Even so, some sides – namely those towards the bottom of the division – have objected to the current plans. Brighton chief executive Phil Barber publicised his opposition to playing at neutral venues.
“Clearly, we must all be prepared to accept some compromises, and we fully appreciate why playing behind closed doors is very likely to be necessary… to fully support the government’s efforts,” he said.
“But at this critical point in the season, playing matches in neutral venues has [the] potential to have a material effect on the integrity of the competition.
“The disadvantages of us not playing in our home stadium and in familiar surroundings, even with fans very unlikely to be present at the Amex, are very obvious.”
Barber’s views were soon echoed by his Aston Villa counterpart, Christian Purslow.
“Personally I’m against it,” he told talkSPORT. “We’re a club that prides itself on home form. Two-thirds of our wins this season have come at home.
“We’ve got six home games left to play and I think any Villa fan would agree that giving up that advantage is a massive decision for somebody running Aston Villa and I certainly wouldn’t agree to that unless those circumstances are right.”
Although they have not yet been as vocal, the other four clubs that currently make up the bottom six – Norwich City, Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham United – are thought to be against neutral venues too.
That could prove fatal to Project Restart, with League Managers’ Association (LMA) chief executive Richard Bevan predicting on Tuesday that the campaign would be cancelled if the latest proposal did not receive the required 14 votes.
Medics raise questions about Project Restart
Elsewhere, a group of club doctors have written to the Premier League to express their own concern over Project Restart.
The league has issued two protocols governing the safe return to training and competitive action, but the Premier League Doctors Group presented league officials with 100 questions earlier this week.
One doctor in particular does not consider the protocols to be sufficient in their present form.
However, this is unlikely to scupper the plan entirely, as the league is constantly seeking to refine its protocols and update its advice.
The Premier League, of course, will require government backing for its plans, although the signs in that regard are positive.
Dominic Raab, the First Secretary of State, believes the return of football would “lift the spirits of the nation”, although Boris Johnson’s administration will only give the green light if it is completely convinced that there is minimal health risk involved.
Prime Minister Johnson’s upcoming televised address on Sunday will give an indication of what might happen next.
There will also need to be further confirmation around the issue of testing.
It has been estimated that the Premier League will require a minimum of 40,000 tests to enact Project Restart.
The organisation will have little trouble rustling up the £4,000,000 needed to buy kits privately, but it must do a great deal more in terms of communication.
The Premier League says its purchasing method means it will not be depriving the health service of a single test, but the message has not yet got through to the wider public – and that could be extremely damaging.
Footballers themselves hold plenty of power
Perhaps most significant of all are the views of players. After all, there can be no football without footballers.
Even if the government gives the go-ahead and the protocols satisfy the demands of medics, there is still a chance that the players will refuse to return.
That looks improbable as things stand, particularly as clubs will no doubt point out the financial implications – and subsequent effect on players’ salaries – of the season being cut short.
Ultimately, though, there would be very little the Premier League could do if the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) announced that its members were not willing to put their health at risk by resuming the campaign.
Project Restart is in much better shape than it was a fortnight ago. For now, however, it is still touch and go whether the 2019-20 season will be completed.
Football authorities in France, Belgium and the Netherlands have all ended their campaigns incomplete.
