London, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola fears his Manchester City players are not ready for the gruelling demands of the Premier League restart. Guardiola’s reigning champions host Arsenal behind closed doors on Wednesday in the second game of the Premier League’s return to action following the coronavirus hiatus. City play again on Monday …
Read More »Four things to look for as European football picks up speed this week
Paris, France | AFP | The European club football trophies should already be stowed in the cabinets, instead most of the top leagues are only just resuming after the coronavirus interruption. While the Germans returned on May 16, the top two Spanish divisions have only just resumed, and the English Premier …
Read More »Premier League’s international appeal faces coronavirus test
London, United Kingdom | AFP | When the 100 day-wait for Premier League football comes to an end on Wednesday, the anticipation will be felt as keenly in Mumbai and Beijing as in Manchester and Birmingham. The global reach of the English top-flight has helped secure its position as the wealthiest …
Read More »Cardboard cut-outs and Zoom parties: the new normal for Premier League fans
London, United Kingdom | AFP | From cardboard cut-outs in the stands to Zoom watch parties, the return of the Premier League will be a bizarre experience for locked-out supporters. The English top-flight resumes behind closed doors on Wednesday, with fans forced to adapt to an unsettling new normal due to …
Read More »From furlough to free-to-air: Premier League becomes a political football
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The green light for the Premier League’s return owes much to a political will for the national game to lift spirits in the country hardest hit by coronavirus in Europe. Suspected and confirmed deaths from coronavirus in Britain passed 50,000 according to analysis from the …
Read More »Premier League’s restart hamstrung by injury fears
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The Premier League will return after a 100-day stoppage on June 17, cramming the remaining 92 games of the season into just five-and-a-half weeks. A deluge of football may be welcomed by fans starved of live action for three months. But it is expected to …
Read More »Stadiums to be split into ‘zones’ as Premier League returns
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League stadiums will be divided into three zones when the season resumes behind closed doors, West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady said Saturday. The Premier League will resume on June 17 after a three-month absence due to the coronavirus pandemic. Clubs met on Thursday to discuss logistics and safety …
Read More »Premier League clubs agree to five substitutions rule change
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Managers will be able to make up to five substitutions for the remainder of the 2019/20 Premier League season after clubs agreed to the temporary rule change at a meeting on Thursday. FIFA proposed the solution last month to “protect player welfare” with a large number of matches packed …
Read More »Liverpool cleared to win Premier League at Anfield
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League leaders Liverpool could claim a first title for 30 years at Anfield after the initial batch of fixtures of the restart was announced on Friday. Jurgen Klopp’s men, with a commanding 25-point lead at the top of the table, were just two wins away from clinching the …
Read More »What next for Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The Premier League’s return is just two weeks away but there are plenty of details for the 20 clubs in the English top-flight to work out before competitive action resumes on June 17. AFP Sport looks at what is on the agenda at the latest …
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