Coronavirus in Sport LIVE: Premier League clubs OPPOSED to Project Restart, Bundesliga back, boxing latest, UFC updates – The Sun
THE Premier League is planning to return on June 12 at neutral venues – but only if it gets the green light from the government.
However, PFA chief Gordon Taylor has stunned fans by revealing that playing less than 90 minutes could be one of the rule changes considered.
Follow all the latest coronavirus in sport updates below, underneath our quick poll…
THE SHERR MUST GO ON
Phil Taylor will play Fallon Sherrock next week after surviving a first virtual Battle of the Sexes.
The Power beat two-time world darts champion Mikuru Suzuki 7-5 on the Target Nexus dartboard.
Sixteen-time world champ Taylor, who averaged 109.18, was playing at home in Stoke while Suzuki, who hit a 150 checkout high, was 6,000 miles away in Japan.
The 59-year-old went 3-0 up but had to win the final two legs after being pegged back at 5-5.
A total of £11,200 was raised for two charities as Taylor edged to victory.
Suzuki had said he was a sporting legend in her native country.
She explained: “Phil is super famous here. In Japan he’s known literally as the God of Darts.
“I don’t think there is someone in Japan who plays darts and doesn’t know Phil Taylor.”
MAC IS BACK
Conor McGregor is “ready” to return after weeks of lockdown training and could make his comeback on the UFC's new “Fight Island”.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Irishman has been forced to self-isolate with his next fight now up in the air.
With several states banning professional sports, UFC president Dana White revealed he has acquired a private island to host events, which he hopes will be up and running by June.
It could feature the return of McGregor, despite the UFC due to suffer a massive loss in ticket sales.
White said: “Conor’s been ready to fight for a while. He’s in shape. He’s ready to go.
“First of all, ‘Fight Island’ is going to be very important in any of these fights that are happening with people from outside the country. It kills me to do a fight with Conor without fans. Kills me. This guy’s doing almost $20million gates.”
TRILOGY BLOW
Frank Warren claims there is “no chance” of Tyson Fury fighting Deontay Wilder without fans.
“There’s not going to be big-name fighters out there,” Warren told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“There is no chance of Fury v Wilder behind closed doors.”
“We’re talking British-title level and the undercard will be the kids, who I don’t want to go away from the sport because they can’t get a living from it.”
RIP
Boxing legend and iconic New York bar owner Jimmy Glenn has passed away aged 89 after a brave fight against coronavirus.
The former cut man to heavyweight Michael Spinks contracted the deadly COVID-19 bug before being hospitalised in April.
He was reported to be on the mend and did not require a ventilator.
However, it has now been confirmed that Glenn has sadly died.
Glenn boxed as an amateur in the 1940s as a welterweight and middleweight. He retired with a 14-2 record even fighting, but losing, to the great heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson.
Glenn – who once trained and sparred with Muhammad Ali – then opened a gym in Times Square in the 1970s but the building was demolished in the mid-1980s.
DEAL BREAKERS
Premier League clubs have been given until June 23 to settle the futures of their soon to be out-of-contract stars.
There are 86 top-flight players set to be available on a free transfer come June 30, but the league are desperate for fair ground rules to be implemented surrounding their futures and the integrity of the competition.
Clubs are expected to have three options.
According to The Athletic, the first could see them hand out-of-contract stars a “season 2019-20” extension, taking them until midnight of the day that the campaign finally finishes – with no change in terms.
The second would be to make a normal offer of a multi-year extension, while the third will be to notify them that no offer is forthcoming.
High-profile stars Willian, David Silva and Jan Vertonghen are among the 86 set to be left in limbo.
WHERE EAGLES DARE
Crystal Palace have made their stadium available to local London Ambulance Service staff for rest and meal breaks while on duty.
Up to 180 paramedics and non-paramedic staff who operate nearby have been invited to use the designated rest space at Selhurst Park between 7am and 7pm each day.
Hot meals and refreshments provided for all guests will be prepared by club chefs.
Steve Markham, Location Group Manager Croydon for London Ambulance Service, said: “The support from Crystal Palace FC during this challenging time is very much appreciated by all our hard working teams across Croydon.
“Their generous offer of a hot meal and place to rest will certainly help to make a difference as we respond to those who need us.”
The Eagles have also expanded their provision of up to 900 meals per week to local NHS staff and vulnerable individuals in the community to nearer 1,500.
BLOCK SHOCK
FA bosses will intervene if Prem clubs try to null and void the season.
SunSport reported today the “Special Share” granted to Wembley chiefs at the formation of the Prem allowed them to block any attempt to axe relegation from the top flight.
But senior FA officials also believe the powers would let them step in and overturn any vote to end the season prematurely.
That aligns with the belief of Premier League chief executive Richard Masters that the competition cannot be cut off in its prime.
It could set up a possible clash between the two bodies, although at this stage they appear to be on the same page and that would only change if the League’s stated position was overturned by its 20 member clubs.
The FA are also understood to believe that proper criteria of “sporting merit” should be applied to determining relegation issues and European qualification if the League cannot resume and be played to a conclusion.
One senior official declared: “The ideas of either null and void or no relegation is simply unacceptable.”
'GREAT NEWS'
Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin welcomed German football's imminent return hailing it as a turning point.
Ceferin said: “It is great news that the German authorities have agreed that the Bundesliga can return.
“This is a huge and positive step to bringing optimism back to people’s lives.
“It is the result of constructive dialogue and careful planning between the football authorities and politicians and I am confident that Germany will provide a shining example to all of us in how to bring football – with all its excitement, emotion and unpredictability- back into our lives.
“I wish everyone connected with this every success.”
TO BE FRANK
RON THE MEND
Holland boss Ronald Koeman has assured fans he feels “fit again” after needing an emergency heart operation over the weekend.
The 57-year-old also thanked fans for their support during what was undoubtedly a troubling time for his family.
The Dutch football legend posted a picture of himself on Instagram with his thumbs up in his garden.
He captioned it: “That was a bit of a scare, last weekend.For myself, of course, but especially for my family, and for my friends.
“Fortunately, the AMC doctors were quick to help me and acted wonderfully, for which I am very grateful. Such an event really helps bring you down to earth.
“It was fantastic for me to see how many people showed compassion. And how many sweet messages I have received.
“From acquaintances from the football world, from clubs. But also from complete strangers.That really meant a lot to me and I would like to thank everyone for that!”
BULLSEYE
Declan Rice and James Maddison will swap their boots for arrows this weekend when they face-off in a darts lockdown tournament.
The Three Lions pair will be joined by West Brom striker Charlie Austin and Scotland and Preston star Paul Gallagher for a ‘Darts at Home Footballers Special’ at 2pm on Sunday.
The two Premier League and two Championship players will battle each other over the internet live from their living rooms as they bid to become crowned football’s top darts player.
West Ham midfielder Rice will face Leicester forward Maddison in the opening match of the round-robin format.
All matches are the best-of-three legs and players will start each leg on 301 not the traditional 501.
It will be broadcast live on the PDC's YouTube channel and fans can donate to the NHS Charities Together.
ALL OR NOTHING
The Ryder Cupis “too nationalistic” and all the “punching and waving incites the crowd to riot”, says legendary commentator Peter Alliss.
Speaking to the 3 Off the Tee podcast, the 89-year-old said: “The Ryder Cup’s always been greatly exciting but I'm sorry that over the last few years it's become too nationalistic.
“All this punching and waving at air, inciting the crowd to rioting almost. I don’t particularly care for that.
“But the actual excitement from the matches is amazing and the Ryder Cup has become one of the world’s great sporting events.
“It’s so competitive and although it’s not a shared ball game, it’s a slow death, it’s painful.
“You have time to think. Some of the other great ball games you don’t have time to think, you do it in a reflex action, but in golf you do it in cold blood.”
IT'S BACK
Borussia Dortmund are set to be the first team in action when the Bundesliga returns on May 16.
After almost two months without any football action due to the coronavirus, Germany’s top tier will be back in just over a week.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has given the green light for the league – which last played on March 8 – to restart.
And now reports claim Dortmund and Schalke will be kicking things off in the Revierderby at 15:30 next Saturday.
Champions Bayern Munich will also be in action on the re-opening weekend as they travel to Union Berlin.
BT Sport have also confirmed they will be broadcasting matches for UK viewers.
Germany has seen 6,996 deaths – compared to Spain and France which have both seen more than 25,000, and the UK and Italy which have seen around 30,000 each.
The country has been on a national lockdown since March 22 but has fared better than many of its European neighbours in the battle against coronavirus.
FANS AJ-AXED
Football fans in Holland will be banned from stadiums until a coronavirus vaccine is found but that could be YEARS away.
The Dutch health minister took the strong stance in a letter to parliament and warned it could be more than a year before the rules can be changed.
All sport in Holland is already banned until at least September 1 and minister Hugo de Jonge expects it to be much longer before supporters can be back watching their team.
He wrote: “We cannot yet mention a date for the last step, the mass gatherings.
“That is actually only possible if there is a vaccine and no one knows how long it will take. We hope of course soon, but a year or more is very real.”
DARK ARTS
Gary Neville believes the Premier League is trying to blackmail clubs into playing again – by threatening them with relegation if they refuse.
Top-flight chiefs will meet on Monday to discuss how best to implement Project Restart and complete the season, currently suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
A number of clubs at the bottom of the table are said to be against plans to play matches at neutral venues. But they have been warned if they do not agree, the season could be scrapped, which could result in them facing the drop.
Outspoken TV pundit and Salford owner Neville said: “You can call them negotiations between the clubs or you can call them blackmail, whichever way you want to put it.
“There is no doubt we’ve got a divided Premier League at this moment in time in respect of what the clubs want and that isn’t healthy going into this situation.
“When you think about the message from day one in this global pandemic, everyone talked about a social approach, being together and be kind.
“But football is not a nice place at the moment, it is full of self-interest.”They are somehow trying to get to an agreed position but it really is getting dirty behind the scenes – that we’ll relegate you if you don’t play.
“What about health? It is unsavoury the way football is perceived at this moment in time by people outside. The clubs at the bottom were always going to get bullied by the rest of the league into playing.”
CRACKDOWN
Spitting, shirt swapping and team celebrations will all reportedly be banned when Premier League football returns from the coronavirus blackout.
The top flight is pushing ahead with plans to resume matches on June 12 in a bid to finish the season and avoid financial meltdown.
But strict sanctions will be in place in a bid to prevent any new Covid-19 cases among players, according to the Telegraph.
Stars will also be prohibited from sharing water bottles under measures to get football back under way.
The new rules could be in place for up to 12 months as football chiefs desperately try to finish the season.
TESTING TIMES
The UFC have promised “extensive” coronavirus testing for fighters and their teams before this weekend's pay-per-view event.
UFC 249, initially scheduled for April 18 in New York, is finally set to go ahead on Saturday night at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida, with Tony Ferguson headlining against Justin Gaethje.
Professional sports in Florida are now able to resume after the state's Governor's Office said they are critical to their economy.
The UFC assured their fighters in an email, obtained by MMA Fighting, that both swab and antibody tests will be carried out on athletes with results available before Fight Night.
Swab tests can detect if a person currently has Covid-19, while the antibody is conducted via a blood sample and tells you if you have had it.
Testing is said to begin upon fighters’ arrival and will be conducted daily.
FRANKLY SPEAKING
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has given an update on how his players have been coping with lockdown training.
He told key worker and lifelong Blues supporter Dr Panos Theodoropoulos: “It was really important, firstly, for me and the staff, to make sure everyone was mentally alright with this sudden change which means you can't leave the house.
“Once we got our head around that, we'd try and keep in contact with the players all the time but we've given them daily plans.
“They train in the hour we were given in lockdown and you can be outside, we gave them running plans.
“They run and then we change the plans every week. We don't make them run everyday, sometimes we make them come off it slightly where they can then do some strength work at home.
“The hardest thing for us is when you don't know the return – were so used to building up for a game next week so its hard. How many runs can you give them? So we change it up.”
BLOCK SHOCK
The FA has the power to BLOCK any Premier League plans to axe relegation from the top flight, SunSport can reveal.
Some clubs have warned that they will only back Project Restart proposals if the threat of dropping into the Championship is taken off the table.
EFL chairman Rick Parry threatened legal action if second-tier clubs are prevented from being promoted to the top-flight under the agreement between the two Leagues and the FA.
But SunSport can reveal FA chairman Greg Clarke and the Wembley board have the right to demand promotion and relegation takes place — even if ALL 20 Prem clubs vote against it.
The ability of the FA to interfere goes back to the original Premier League breakaway from the Football League.
The resulting Founder Members Agreement, signed on July 17, 1991, gave the “Special Shareholder” — the FA — specific powers.
Under the terms of the document, which remains in place today, rule variations can “be effective only with the consent in writing of the Special Shareholder and without such consent shall not be done or caused to be done”.
NO BLUES CRUISE
Frank Lampard says his Chelsea team will need a pre-season and a month of training to get back to full fitness for when the Premier League resumes.
He outlined his plans in a video call that Chelsea set up with key worker and lifelong Blues supporter Dr Panos Theodoropoulos.
Lampard said: “There's some weeks where we've rested them a bit and then we keep working and staying in contact.
“Not only is it a long break but for big parts of that break they've been sitting down on the sofa. They haven't been getting as active as they normally would be.
“We will need to play that one by ear and see what period of time we get, whenever we do go back.
“They're talking about going back in smaller groups, which is how we'll probably start and that will be more about maintaining fitness and then stepping it up. We need some form of a pre-season and proper training for three or four weeks.”
CASH CONVERTERS
Anthony Joshua fighting Tyson Fury is the only fight that will make money this year, according to legendary sports promoter Barry Hearn.
Speaking to iFL TV, the 71-year-old said: “Maybe the better deal is to say to Pulev and Wilder, 'we'll pay you to sit on your backside and wait for the outcome of a fight [between Joshua and Fury] with a guarantee of getting the next fight', that might look attractive.
“When you put all these things together in the mix, the one fight you know you can sell for loads of money, where everybody gets paid, more than their previous fight, is Joshua vs Fury.
“What about rolling those dice, Tyson Fury thinks he can beat Joshua, Joshua thinks he can beat Fury.
“They both know they're going to earn far more money from that fight than any other fight.
“And it's relatively straight-forward to put together, and there's no danger of people not getting paid. That makes a bit of sense.”
'KHABIBTIME'
Khabib Nurmagomedov looks set to return to the Octagon in July after confirming he will be ready for his next UFC fight quicker than expected.
The lightweight champ is unable to defend his belt at UFC 249 as he remains in Russia amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He is now currently observing Ramadan in his native Dagestan and will await the winner of Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethjewho fight fo the interim lightweight title on Saturday.
The winner has been promised a showdown against Nurmagomedov later this year – possibly at Dana White’s specially-built “Fight Island”.
But in an Instagram message posted last night, the champ seems to have other ideas.
He said: “I can fight anytime – Ramadan finishes May 23. July I’m gonna be ready.”
“Stop talking about me, this is coronatime. When Khabibtime come I will smash all of them.”
HARD TO JUDGE
Boxing judges could score fights from home to help stop the spread of coronavirus in drastic new changes suggested by the WBC.
With major events facing the axe due to the Covid-19 crisis, promoters, commissions and governing bodies are imposing ways to have boxing return as quick as possible.
Fights behind closed doors are already being discussed, but handlers must comply with the current strict health guidelines including a max of 50 people at each event – which includes each fighters team, ring officials, the commission and production.
The WBC, one of the four major organisations, have been exploring the idea of judges scoring fights from home or a designated place in order to cut the number of people at a show.
The WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, told BoxingScene: “We have been working for several years on the evaluation of remote online ring officials.
“This platform is ready to be used in case it will help to reduce the number of persons [at] a boxing card.”
BACK UNDERWAY
The start date for the Bundesliga season will be confirmed today after video call between clubs.
The German season was given the green light to resume and the German Football League (DFL) wants to restart on 15 May after speaking with all 36 clubs.
Christian Seifert, chief executive of the DFL, added: “Today's decision is good news for the Bundesliga and the Bundesliga 2.
“It is associated with a great responsibility for the clubs and their employees to implement the medical and organisational requirements in a disciplined manner.
“Games without spectators are not an ideal solution for anyone. In a crisis threatening the very existence of some clubs, however, it is the only way to keep the leagues in their current form.”
BOX CLEVER
Barry Hearn fears there will be no big-stadium fights involving Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury until there is a Covid-19 vaccine.
In an exclusive SunSport interview, the Matchroom boss says Government rules on social-distancing may prevent mass crowds assembling for big UK fights.
Hearn said: “The only time we will defeat this virus properly is when we get a vaccine. All the social-distancing in the world is really doing is postponing the potential of another outbreak.
“So it comes down to when we will do big arena shows. My answer would be the moment we have a proper vaccine. That’s very unlikely to be this year.
“Do we honestly think before the end of this year we’ll be allowed90,000 crowds again?
“I’m playing with someone’s career. Fightersneed 12 weeks to prepare. I have to give a date.”
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