EPL to return 'as soon as possible'; Russian League to resume in June

UK government wants Premier League back 'as soon as possible'

The UK government's cabinet minister responsible for sport said he has been in talks with the Premier League with the aim of getting football back on the field as quickly as possible.

Speaking at a parliamentary questions session, Oliver Dowden, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, said: “I personally have been in talks with the Premier League with a view to getting football up and running as soon as possible in order to support the whole football community.

"But of course, any such moves would have to be consistent with public health guidance," he said.

The Premier League, which has been on hold since March 13, remains suspended until at least April 30 while lockdown measures are in place in the United Kingdom until May 7, when the government is set to review the current restrictions in place.

But three London clubs, Arsenal, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, along with Brighton, have already re-opened their training grounds, allowing limited return to training while observing social distancing protocols.

Those clubs say that players will only be using outdoor field facilities for individual work and will not take part in team activities.

Premier League clubs will hold their latest conference call on Friday as they continue to evaluate various options for finishing the season but a re-start of matches is not expected until June at the earliest.

Last week the league said it was "working through complex planning scenarios" and there are a number of practical hurdles that they face.

With the ban on mass public gatherings likely to be one of the last restrictions to be removed, rescheduled games could be held behind closed doors, possibly at neutral venues.

English cricket’s governing body, the ECB, has been given the leading role for all sport in the country, including soccer, in examining how to create ‘bio-secure’ venues, with the focus on stadiums with hotel facilities connected or nearby -- to limit the need for extensive travel.

Russian Premier League proposes re-starting on June 21 or 28

The Russian Premier League has put forward a plan to resume the season on June 21 or 28 following the suspension of matches during the COVID-19 pandemic, it said on Monday.

No games have been played in the 16-team top-flight since March 16 but the league announced on its website that it has proposed two solutions to clubs for the campaign to re-start with eight rounds of matches remaining.

One option is a June 21 start with one round of games scheduled per week for the first two matchdays to ease the load on players followed by five matchdays on a twice-weekly basis, including midweek fixtures. The last matchday would then take place a week after the penultimate round of fixtures.

Another option is to re-start the season on June 28 with one round of games scheduled for the first matchday followed by seven rounds of games on a twice-weekly basis.

"Both options are set up taking into account the possible completion of the Russian Cup, the decision on which will be made by the RFU (Russian Football Union)."

Discussions are continuing on how to resume training and get foreign players back to their clubs as well as whether fans will be allowed to attend when games get underway.

Zenit St Petersburg top the standings on 50 points after 22 games, nine points clear of Lokomotiv Moscow and Krasnodar.

Russia has had over 80,000 coronavirus cases and almost 800 deaths since the disease was identified in China in December.