West Ham's Karren Brady Reveals '15 Fit Players' Clause in Project Restart as Premier League Return Edges Closer
By Ben Carter
West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady has revealed a key detail about 'Project Restart' which could cause major problems when the Premier League returns next month.
Top-flight football is set to return on 17 June, with Arsenal's trip to face Manchester City scheduled to be one of the first games back following the Premier League's suspension.
The authorities have had to make changes to some rules in order to help bring football back as quickly and safely as possible, but Brady has pointed out how some details have been overlooked as far as squad sizes are concerned which might even lead to the season ending early.
"There are obvious and genuine concerns about what happens to your match results if your club has a number of players testing positive for coronavirus, or in self-isolation," Brady wrote in he column for the Sun.
"Well, as long as you have 15 fit players (including one goalkeeper) made up from either your 25-man squad list or from your Under-21s you will be deemed to have a team fit enough to fulfil the fixture.
"I guess that puts an end to the suggestion of having five subs, because if only 15 are needed you can’t have five subs!
"But what if a number of teams don’t have 15 fit players?
"Or what if the Government declares the games cannot re-start or continue be played due to a second wave of the virus requiring a new lockdown?"
In the event that teams are unable to complete the 2019/20 Premier League season, Brady suggests the league will decide final positions - including relegation and European qualification - by using a points-per-game formula.
"Well at that point the season will be curtailed, and the Premier League are recommending a points- per-game formula to decide the award of places," she added.
"This is a straightforward model whereby a team’s number of points is simply divided by the number of matches they have played.
"And on this calculation three teams will be relegated - what a heartbreaking end to the most unfortunate season in history."