Fitness coach urges players to boycott season resumption

Premier League players have been urged to boycott resuming the season by former Manchester City and Wales football fitness coach Raymond Verheijen.

The Premier League and EFL are currently suspended indefinitely but discussions regarding completing the season are ongoing, with a number of plans being mooted that would see the campaign resume in the summer months.

Verheijen fears that the Premier League could take a chance on the health and fitness of the players in a bid to save billions in lost TV revenue – and he urged the game’s biggest names to save football from its own greed.

“They are scared about ­becoming infected by a ­team-mate or an opponent.

“So that’s the first thing the football authorities need to address. And the second issue that needs to be raised is the ­possibility of ­players suffering career-threatening injuries.

“Everyone understands that there is huge financial pressure on the game and we all want to see football resumed as quickly as possible – but only when the crisis is over and the reality is that it won’t be ­possible to finish the current season by the end of the summer.

“Most players don’t have the ­influence to say, ‘I am not playing until I know it’s safe’. Only the players’ unions and the best footballers in the world have that kind of power.

“It would be a powerful message if the stars of the Premier League joined big names like Messi and ­Ronaldo to say, ‘None of us will play until the game is safe’.”