The Premier League definitely seems like everything has changed, beginning with the environment around us (both in terms of healthcare and social issues), but also in terms of no supporters being permitted in the stadiums. The fan experience and atmosphere are often overstated components of the Premier League “product” and “brand,” but they are undeniably a major part of it, and not only for match-goers. However, if the Bundesliga can manage “ghost games,” surely the Premier League can as well. Check out TopScorersFootball.com for more updates on the premier league restart.
Strictly speaking, the football will remain the same, although without much, if any, home-field advantage. The absence of instant crowd reaction at the stadium may also create new circumstances and paradigms for players, and it will be interesting to observe how motives and pressures playout for certain people – some may respond better, others may respond worse!
Rundown of Newly Implemented Laws:
A lot of new rules have been stated for the premier league restart, some political while some regarding the pandemic we are facing. Let’s get a rundown of a few of those rules.
- For the first 12 matches of the new season, Premier League players’ names will be substituted with ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the back of their jerseys.
- NHS insignia will also be placed on the jerseys of the players.
- A minute’s silence will be observed before the first game in honour of those impacted by the coronavirus epidemic.
- In order to maximize personal safety, Premier League players have been instructed not to spit, clear their throats, or crowd match officials during games.
- To comply with social distancing regulations, top-tier players will enter a sterile path in the stadium to enlarged changing rooms.
- A drinks break will take place halfway through each half, with players sipping from their own bottles, while pre-match handshakes have been eliminated.
- Meanwhile, only three replacements from one side will be permitted to warm up at the same time.
- Managers are permitted to make five changes throughout a match three times, not including half-time.
- Inside stadiums, crowd noise will not be played; however, spectators viewing from home may activate an artificial crowd noise option.
- Furthermore, cameras will be positioned in tunnels without audio, but spectators will be able to hear the coin toss.
Clubs may also show 16 fans on live video feeds during matches
When the Premier League season resumes, players have been instructed not to spit, clean their noses, or crowd match officials, and will be guided towards a “celebration camera” after scoring in closed-doors matches.
The Premier League has published formal instructions on how games should be produced, played, and televised during the Covid-19 epidemic, ahead of the resumption of top-flight football in England on Wednesday. It has been announced that players will wear Black Lives Matter and NHS badges on their jerseys for the rest of the 2019-20 season and that a minute’s silence will be observed before the first 12 games to honour those impacted by the virus.
Players to follow COVID SOPs:
Teams may travel to games by car, bus, aircraft, or train as long as physical separation procedures are followed. Players will then take a sterile route through a stadium to larger locker rooms, stagger their departures from the tunnel, avoid close contact during warm-ups, and have a maximum of 15 minutes for treatment after a game.
There will be water breaks in the middle of each half, with players required to drink from their own water bottles. Only players carrying a clinical passport — a barcode scanned from a phone or printout indicating their most recent test result was negative – will be permitted entry to the Red Zone, which encompasses the field, technical area, tunnel, and changing rooms. In a red zone, the maximum number of persons permitted is 110.
The stringent rules for players also include no handshakes, spitting or nasal cleaning, mass confrontations, encircling match officials, and using hand sanitisers before and after each match. PPE is needed for any medical personnel conducting physiotherapy or soft tissue treatment. Spare balls will be put around the field in the absence of ball helpers to avoid delays if a ball disappears into an empty stand.
Concerns of a gambling frenzy when the Premier League and Championship return
The Premier League has also unveiled a number of new initiatives to enhance broadcasts from empty stadiums. Although people viewing from home may enable EA Sports Atmospheric Audio, crowd noise will not be played inside them, but clubs can show live video feeds of 16 supporters on large screens during matches. After scoring a goal, broadcasters will send players to a celebration camera if the circumstances permit.
Cameras will be installed in tunnels with no sound, and the sounds from the coin toss will be transmitted live. VAR and drug testing will remain, but extra rooms at Stockley Park will be utilized to allow for physical separation, and teams may designate nine replacements instead of the customary seven and use five instead of three.
