The English model: quick swabs every day, postponements are decided by the Premier

Since the Premier left on 13 August with Brentford-Arsenal, the Covid situation has been under control until the end of November. In August the cases of positives in the roses and in the staff were 11, out of 3,231 tests carried out. In December, the surge to 42 cases, then 90, 103 and 94. More frequent tests led to a decline. Here’s what they are now
the rules imposed by London, including daily quick buffers, minimum number of players to get off
on the pitch, matches postponed.

Since yesterday in the Premier League, only quick swabs are required before matches and every training session. The obligation of two weekly molecular tests has been abolished – introduced in mid-December, at the worst moment of infections -, which today can be done to confirm positivity but are no longer considered indispensable. The positive player must immediately go into isolation and from the day of the tampon the isolation itself is counted. For weeks there has been the obligation to use the mask and spacing inside the sports centers and club facilities. As for the fans, to go to the stadium (where there are no capacity limitations) you must have the equivalent of our green pass, i.e. proof of vaccination carried out or a swab done within 48 hours and must be registered on the site of clubs. It is also recommended to wear masks: a little respected advice.

In order to play and therefore avoid the postponement due to Covid, the Premier clubs must have 14 players available (13 of movement plus a goalkeeper), considering the first team and the Under 21s who have adequate “experience”, and therefore have played for the club, another Premier or EFL team, English Football League (second to fourth league), or a foreign club this season. These Under 21 elements, therefore, must have already played in the first team even if only in the English or European cups. Instead in the English Cup and the League Cup you can count the boys without “experience”. On the other hand, the cups are an opportunity to do it. Then there is a case of goalkeepers who, for example, hit Liverpool heavily. The Reds, in fact, had to postpone last night’s League Cup semi-final match against Arsenal because they had all the goalkeepers – from the highly titled Alisson to the unfortunate Loris Karius, who returned to the club after the loans to Besiktas and at Union Berlin, and also those of the youth teams aggregated in the first team – positive. At the end of December, the official number of Premier players vaccinated was 77 percent with at least two doses and 84 percent with at least the first vaccine. Among the clubs, Wolverhampton has been the most loyal so far: the squad has been vaccinated twice.

In the Premier there are no uncertainties: if all the conditions provided for by the league regulations are met, the matches are postponed for Covid. So far in England 18 league matches have already been missed and one, last night, the first leg of the League Cup. The first case of postponement was the Brighton-Tottenham match of 12 December, after the move of the Conference League match three days earlier between Antonio Conte’s club (in the photo) and Rennes for the 13 cases of Covid between Spurs , players and staff. The most sacrificed round was that of 18-19 December with 6 matches out of 10 postponed. Now they could miss others this weekend for the FA Cup, for example that of Liverpool with Shrewsbury Town on Sunday is at risk. The City, which opens the third round of the FA Cup tonight, has 21 positive cases: 14 club employees, including Guardiola and deputy Juanma Lillo, and 7 players from the first team, all in solitary confinement, but did not ask for the postponement of the match with Swindon Town. In the last week, the cases of Covid ascertained among Premier staff and players were 94 out of 14,250 tests, down by about 10% compared to the week ended December 26, the top, with 15,186 swabs made and 103 positive.

It is always the Premier League board that makes the final decision on whether or not to postpone a match. In England the health authorities cannot stop the teams. Of course, the Board and the chief executive Richard Masters (pictured) follow the advice and directions of the UK Health Security Agency, but then they manage everything in complete autonomy, after a careful assessment of the situation. Furthermore, the Premier Council considers not only the number of negatives available to play but also the overall status of the squads, that is, if it was time to test all the players, if there are any doubtful cases and if there is time before. of a match to complete the screening. Again, the number of other “common” injuries is also examined. Or even if a company’s sports center has been closed due to Covid, and for how many days. Not just numbers, then.