Premier League players are willing to compromise and play games behind closed doors if it is the only option to finish the season, according to Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes.
The last Premier League game to take place was Leicester’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa on March 9, and the current suspension of the league until April 30 is widely expected to be extended as the coronavirus continues to spread.
Barnes is in regular contact with a number of players, and says they recognise the unlikelihood of fans being allowed into grounds any time soon.
“I think it’s more a case of there being no alternative. Players are realistic,” Barnes told The Athletic.
“In an ideal world, we would be playing in front of crowds.
“But we’re not in an ideal world and certainly, the players I’ve spoken to accept that if that is what it’s going to be, that’s what it will have to be.”
While playing games behind closed doors at some point does seem the likeliest scenario to get competitions back underway, doing so would present a number of challenges.
Players will have to be effectively locked down – if one member of a team tests positive for Covid-19, the rest of the squad would go into quarantine, as has already happened at a number of clubs.
However, the financial issues caused by the lack of games – including loss of gate receipts, contracts expiring at the end of June and the loss of television revenue – mean there is a strong desire for a solution to be found.
“I’ve been speaking to players — including two or three very high-profile Premier League players more or less on a daily basis — and the conversations I had with them at the outset were based around not wanting to play behind closed doors if at all possible,” Barnes explained.
“I said to them, ‘Look, none of us, in an ideal world, want to play in front of empty stadiums. Football is about fans.’
“But the reality is that for the vast majority of the players, particularly at the highest level, their income is funded by television money and there are contracts that have to be adhered to.
“In order for us (the PFA) to be able to protect those players in terms of securing their salaries… if that’s the only offer we have on the table to complete the season, then that is what it will be.”
“To be fair, most players very much took that on board when we spoke to them.
“The players get it. They understand the alternative.
“Quite frankly, if we’re going to get the season finished in a timely fashion so that we can even consider starting next season, we’ve got to be open to all options.
“If it means playing behind closed doors has to happen in order that contracts are protected, fixtures fulfilled and commercial deals honoured, then I think we’ve all got to come together and accept we’ve all got to make sacrifices to try and find a solution for the industry as a whole.”