Today’s back pages: Premier League’s hotel lockdown plan to get season finished

‘Premier in’

The Daily Mirror and Daily Star report that a hotel lockdown plan is being drafted with the aim of getting football up and running by 8 June.

There is a growing determination to finish the Premier League season, and although the 20 clubs recognise the remaining nine rounds of games are fraught with obstacles the will is there to overcome them.

The Mirror says that players will be put in lockdown in “nominated hotels for up to six weeks while the fixture list is finished”.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Apparently the aim is that the home team will occupy one half of the hotel and the away team will then check in to “play their game and that section of the hotel will be deep cleaned after they check out”.

The list of the hotels willing to participate in the plan has not been finalised and the proposal is still at an early stage.

The Times adds that matches will only take place in “approved stadiums” and so some clubs could be forced to play all their matches away. Police and health officials will have the final say on which stadiums are chosen.

Premier League launches ‘Project Restart’ with 8 June D-day

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Supplementary subs

According to The Sun, Fifa is drawing up plans to allow clubs to field two more substitutes in order to protect stars from burn-out and injuries as football prepares to restart after what in most cases will be a three month lay-off.

With rumours that the Premier League is set to restart on 8 June and finish six weeks later, players will have to play nine matches in quick succession, as well as cup fixtures in many cases.

For most top-flight clubs, therefore, that will mean two games a week after the longest lay-off since the end of the Second World War. With that in mind five subs will be allowed instead of the customary three.

Kean caned

The Daily Mail doesn’t beat around the bush in its “Covidiot Kean” headline. The paper says there is “fury” within the Everton ranks at the antics of their striker Moise Kean, who has been caught flouting lockdown rules by throwing a party in his flat.

As a result, says the Mail, he faces a “fine of £100,000-plus and the wrath of manager Carlo Ancelotti”.

Unable to conceal his delight at his party, the Italy striker uploaded footage of the shindig at his Cheshire apartment onto social media, which featured several young women described as “models”.

The Mail says Everton boss Ancelotti is “bitterly disappointed” at Kean’s behaviour and he will be fined £100,000, which works out at two weeks’ wages, although the Daily Mirror puts the likely fine figure at £160,000.

Apparently Kean’s agent, Mino Raiola, couldn’t be contacted for comment, but it’s believed that the 20-year-old has apologised to the club for the “embarrassment he had caused and vowed there would be no repeats”.

Today’s sport headlines

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––