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Tag: Training

  • Premier League clubs to resume training today

    Premier League clubs to resume training today

    Premier League clubs will return to training on Tuesday after agreeing to allow “small group” sessions to begin, the first step on the road to a return to competitive action.

    The league held a conference call for all 20 clubs on Monday where the move was given unanimous backing.

    It is the first move in the league’s `Project Restart’ plans to restart play in the league, which has not held a game since March 9 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

    Failure to resume the season could cost the league around 750 million pounds (913.80 million dollars) in lost revenue from broadcasters, according to British media estimates.

    Some reports said clubs could lose out even if the league restarts should broadcasters demand a 330 million pounds rebate.

    “Premier League Shareholders today voted unanimously to return to small group training from tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon —- the first step towards restarting the Premier League, when safe to do so,” the league said in a statement.

    “Step One of the Return to Training Protocol enables squads to train while maintaining social distancing. Contact training is not yet permitted,” it added.

    The Government last week opened the door for the return of elite sport.

    But several hurdles remain before the Premier League can resume behind closed doors with the aim of completing the remaining 92 matches of the season.

    Clubs will have been encouraged, however, by the return of the Bundesliga at the weekend —- the first major football league in the world to resume after the lockdown.

    Project Restart was originally looking at a June 12 resumption date.

    But should the clubs agree and, if there is no rise in infections in the country, a return date of June 19 or June 26 appears the most likely.

    However, the prospect of clubs playing their remaining matches at neutral venues has receded with more than half speaking out against such a proposal.

    The league said the decision to return to `group training’ had been taken in consultation with players, managers, Premier League club doctors, independent experts and the government.

    “Strict medical protocols of the highest standard will ensure everyone returns to training in the safest environment possible,” it added.

    “The health and well-being of all participants is the Premier League’s priority, and the safe return to training is a step-by-step process.

    “Full consultation will now continue with players, managers, clubs, the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) and LMA (League Managers Association) as protocols for full-contact training are developed,” the statement added.

    Safety measures are expected to include tents where temperature checks will be conducted, strict hygiene criteria, no canteens and no showers.

    A maximum of five players will be allowed per pitch, with tackling forbidden.

    Players will be tested twice a week and are being asked to provide written approval that they have received and understood the club’s COVID-19 policy.

  • Barca players to have COVID-19 test before training

    Barca players to have COVID-19 test before training

    Barcelona players will be tested for Covid-19 at the club’s training ground on Wednesday before resuming individual work “in the coming days”.

    La Liga teams have been given permission to return to training this week following the easing of some restrictions by the government.

    Barca say the league “gave the go-ahead” for testing after inspecting the facilities at their training ground.

    La Liga organisers are aiming for a June restart to the season.

    Players from the top two divisions will train individually after an agreement with Spain’s sports and health authorities that guaranteed the safety of both players and staff.

    Football in Spain was suspended indefinitely in March amid the coronavirus pandemic and all players must be tested before they can return to training facilities.

  • Sassuolo players run on empty pitches as Serie A training resumes

    Sassuolo players run on empty pitches as Serie A training resumes

    Sassuolo on Monday became the first Italian top-flight club to resume training following the coronavirus stoppage although it was still a long way from normality with only a handful of players running up and down empty pitches.

    The Serie A club posted a video on Twitter showing players exercising individually, with each having half a pitch to himself.
    The club has limited the number of players who can train to six at a time divided into three pitches and says training is optional.

    The government on Sunday gave players permission to start training individually on club premises but no team exercises will be allowed until May 18 and it is still far from certain that Serie A will be allowed to resume this season.

    Italy, among the world’s hardest-hit countries, started to relax the longest lockdown in Europe on Monday, allowing about 4.5 million people to return to work after nearly two months at home.

    Sassuolo were involved in the last Serie A match to be played before the suspension when they beat Brescia 3-0 on March 9.

    Other Serie A teams were expected to resume training over the course of the week.

    Bologna and Atalanta have already confirmed that they will start training on Tuesday, while Inter Milan said they would open their training centre from this week with further details to be confirmed.

    The Italian government will have the final say over whether the Serie A season can resume.

    The main sticking point appears to be the medical protocol drawn up by the Italian football federation (FIGC) which sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora described last week as insufficient.

    There are 12 rounds of matches still to play in Serie A plus a number of games from previous rounds. Title holders Juventus are one point clear of Lazio at the top.

  • La Liga training to resume this week with season restart in June

    Soccer clubs in Spain’s top two divisions will return to individual training this week for the first time since activity was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, while organisers will aim to re-start the season in June, La Liga said on Monday.

    A statement from the organising body said clubs would follow the league’s protocol for returning to training which had been agreed with Spain’s sports and health authorities and which guaranteed the safety of players and staff.

    The protocol obliges players to undergo testing for the novel coronavirus before they can return to training facilities.

    “These measures cover a period of approximately four weeks with different phases that, in any case, will be subject to the de-escalation process established by the government.

    “Thus, together with the medical tests carried out by clubs, a staggered return to training has been implemented that will start with players training alone and with group activities prior to the return to competition, scheduled for June,” said the statement.

  • Serie A clubs allowed to resume training Monday

    Italian football teams have been given permission from the government to resume training from Monday.

    The government had initially declared that as of May 4 citizens can exercise in parks and athletes involved in individual sport can begin training again as they begin lifting lockdown restrictions.

    Team sports were initially required to wait a further two weeks before training centres would open again, but regions in Italy such as Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio and Sardinia have given the go-ahead for athletes to return on May 4.

    Many more regions were set to follow that example, prompting minister of sports Vincenzo Spadafora to write to the scientific committee urging them to consider allowing training centres for team sports to open as well. The Italian government has accepted that it would be unfair to prevent other athletes from training and agreed to give permission.

    Serie A clubs will now be allowed to return to individual training until May 17, after which group practice are expected to resume.

    Sassulo and Roma had already confirmed they will start individual training sessions and medical assessments next week after their regions lifted restrictions.

    The Italian top-flight looks likely to resume the 2019-20 campaign after all 20 clubs voted in favour of doing so whenever possible at an emergency meeting on Friday, though it is dependent on government approval.

    Goal

  • Three test positive for COVID-19 at FC Cologne as clubs resume training

    Three test positive for COVID-19 at FC Cologne as clubs resume training

    German top-flight football club FC Cologne said on Friday that group training was continuing in spite of three people at the club testing positive for COVID-19.

    The Bundesliga side said in a statement that the entire squad and coaching staff had been tested on Thursday.

    “Three people tested positive, all are symptom-free,” the club statement said. “After an assessment of the cases by the responsible health authorities, the three people who tested positive will go into a 14-day quarantine at home.”

    FC Cologne said they would not confirm any names out of respect for the privacy of the individuals involved.

    While Bundesliga clubs have returned to training, they must wait another week to find out about a possible restart to the season.

    This was after the German government on Thursday delayed any decision over a league resumption amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    The cash-strapped clubs and league had been hoping for the government to give the green light and end a two-month suspension.

    But Chancellor Angela Merkel has said any decision on if and when sports could resume would be taken on May 6.

    Germany has suffered over 6,500 deaths from coronavirus, with more than 162,00 people infected.

  • EPL: Arteta missing as Arsenal players resume training

    Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta, was missing as the first team resumed training at London Colney on Monday, the UK Metro reports.

    A ‘majority’ of the squad trained at the club’s Hertfordshire base, after the club decided that it was safe to open up their large training base.

    However, the Gunners enforced strict rules for all players, with each individual having their own ball and parking spot, to reduce contact.

    The players were also given designated times to arrive and arrived in groups of five, to stem the flow of players through the door.

    The gym, canteen and indoor training centre remained closed.

    Arteta and his first-team staff were not present at training, choosing instead to remain at home.

    The Spaniard tested positive to Coronavirus in March, but has since recovered.

  • Bundesliga: Bayern Munich to resume training

    Bundesliga: Bayern Munich to resume training

    Bayern Munich players will return to training on Monday for the first time since the Bundesliga campaign was halted by the coronavirus pandemic.

    Germany’s top flight has been on hold since 13 March.

    The German Football League recommended clubs should not train until Sunday, 5 April; the Bundesliga leaders will welcome back players in small groups.

    “Training will take place with no members of the public present,” a club statement read.

    “In order to further slow the spread of the coronavirus, FC Bayern asks fans to continue to follow the instructions of the authorities and therefore please do not come to the FC Bayern training ground.”

    The Bundesliga remains suspended until at least 30 April following a meeting of league clubs last Tuesday.

  • COVID-19: Arsenal players set to return to training

    Arsenal players are set to return to training next Tuesday, following their period of self-isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sky Sports reports.

    The Gunners boss, Mikel Arteta, tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

    The news led to the Premier League postponing all fixtures until at least April 4.

    Since then, all Arsenal players and backroom staff were forced into a 14-day self-isolation period.

    The two weeks end on Tuesday and as things stand, the club’s London Colney training base will reopen and training will resume ahead of the planned home game against Norwich on April 4.

    Arteta is understood to be feeling better and in good spirits.

  • Ighalo banned from Man Utd training ground

    Ighalo banned from Man Utd training ground

    Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has yet to set foot in the club’s training ground since joining on loan from Shanghai Shenhua, British media reported on Thursday.

    Media reports said this was after he was told to stay away due to concerns over the coronavirus.

    The flu-like virus has killed over 1,300 people and infected around 60,000 in China after it first emerged in Wuhan late last year.

    The Times reported Ighalo has been training at the National Taekwondo Centre in Manchester since arriving on loan from the Chinese club almost two weeks ago.

    The mandated 14-day incubation period will come to an end this weekend and Ighalo is expected to join first-team training ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League match against Chelsea on Monday.

    The former Watford striker missed Manchester United’s mid-season training camp in Spain but has been building his match fitness with performance coach Wayne Richardson, The Times reported.

    Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed earlier this week that Ighalo would be in the squad to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.