Premier League Clubs United On Way Forward For Season, Players Fear Comeback; Lyon to Seek Damages Over Ruling on Ligue 1 and more (Football Round-up)

Premier League’s clubs put on a united front during a three and a half hour video conference on Friday saying they remained determined to find a way to complete the season, with the use of neutral stadiums without fans now a prerequisite.

The 2019-20 Premier League has been at a standstill since March 13 due to the global pandemic. The Professional Footballers’ Association has made it plain that the safety of the players is its overriding concern. Some players, concerned about taking to the field, want the union to make a stand on their behalf. 

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Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero had earlier said players are "scared" about the return of the games during the ongoing pandemic.

"The majority of players are scared because they have children and families," said 31-year-old Aguero.

On the other hand, there are many more players who do want to continue. While the top tier is struggling to come to a solution for the game, at the lower levels, the English Football League’s (EFL) preferred contingency for promotion from the Championship would be to promote Leeds and West Brom and to play the play-offs as per current positions.

Lyon to Seek Damages

Lyon to seek damages from Ligue 1 over premature end to season

Club President Jean-Michel Aulas has announced that Olympique Lyonnais intend to take legal action and seek around ‘dozens of million euros’ after being denied a spot in European competition for the first time since 1997. 

After French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said football games in France will not take place before September, the French League, Ligue de Football Professionnel, declared an end to the season and concluded that the places would be awarded according to a performance index – number of points per game weighed by head-to-head record. PSG were declared the champions. Lyon finished seventh with no possibility for a European spot for 2020-2021. 

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“It's a big loss of opportunity that has a financial value that amounts to dozens of million euros, which will be claimed in damages,” Aulas, whose club won the Ligue 1 title from 2002-08 and reached the Champions League last four in 2010, told the local newspaper Le Progres.

“We see that these standings are illogical. I don’t want to single out a club more than another but Nice played at home more than us and faced Paris St Germain (PSG) only once while we played them twice,” he added.

World Cup Ambassador Contracts Covid-19

Adel Khamis tests positive for Coronavirus

One of the ambassadors for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has tested positive for Coronavirus, organisers said on Thursday.

The Supreme Committee of the 2022 tournament tweeted that retired Qatari midfielder Adel Khamis, 54, “was unfortunately diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, Covid-19.”

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“We wish a speedy to all those affected,” the tweet added.

The committee responsible for the tournament said it ;is reviewing the situation on a continuous basis and will take the necessary measures to protect the health and safety of all construction workers and direct staff’. 

A number of confirmed infections cases have come from the people who were involved in the construction of the 2022 facilities, but organisers have not updated the toll since April 17.

Serie A clubs handed training boost

Four Serie A clubs can restart their training on Monday as the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy relaxed its lockdown rules. The amendments suggested that individual training sessions can resume again along with reopening of parks, gardens and cemeteries to the public. 

These are glad tidings Bologna, Parma, Sassuolo and SPAL. The central government still has the power to overrule the regional guidance. 

The Emilia-Romagna local authority issued a statement on its website listing several ways in which it plans to lift the coronavirus restrictions from May 4. 

 "Green light also for the training in individual form of professional and non-professional athletes recognised by the Italian National Olympic Committee, by the Italian Paralympic Committee and by their respective federations, in compliance with the rules of social distancing and without any gatherings in closed-door structures, also for athletes of non-individual sports disciplines," said the statement. 

Kieran Trippier Charged by FA

The English Football Association charged Kieran Trippier  with misconduct for alleged breaching betting rules in July 2019 after he moved from Tottenham to Atletico Madrid. The 29-year-old  footballer has until 18 May to respond. 

"I have fully complied with the FA’s investigation over the past several months on a voluntary basis and will continue to do so," Trippier said in a statement.

"I want to make it clear that while a professional footballer, I have at no stage placed any football-related bets or received any financial benefit from others betting." he added. 

The 29-year-old, who scored in the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia, has been charged with several alleged breaches during July 2019. That is the same month the Bury-born defender moved from Tottenham to Atlético Madrid for £20m. 

Daniel Sturridge was charged with breaching the same two rules before being found guilty of providing his brother with inside information on a potential move from Liverpool to Sevilla in 2018. Sturridge was charged with 11 betting breaches and ultimately handed a four-month worldwide ban from all football related activities.

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