Football in England can't resume until EVERY player has been tested for coronavirus, says LMA chief Richard Bevan... but he insists priority is given to NHS workers and patients

LMA chief executive Richard Bevan says the football season can only resume once every player has been tested for coronavirus.

But Bevan believes that 'tests must be available first' for NHS workers and patients, with the current campaign having been halted indefinitely due to the escalating pandemic.

According to Bevan, once the health service and those affected by the disease have been allowed access to testing, then football could also implement a similar policy to ensure the season can be played to a conclusion.

But the LMA chief believes NHS staff and patients must be prioritised first

The EFL have been asked to discuss restarting the action with individual managers across its three divisions.

He told BBC Sport: 'You're going to have to get the goodwill of the players because you're going to have at least three weeks of training to get back on the pitch at least,' he said.

'The most important thing guiding every principle is health, and getting back on the pitch without ensuring fully-fit players is a very big call to make. I would like to see more debate.'

But with the United Kingdom still struggling to battle back against the health crisis, Bevan says that widespread testing will be the most effective course of action in allowing football to return.

He added: 'We're not really going to see more accurate forecasting about when we can get on the pitch until the end of April.

'In Germany, if you look at discussions about coming back in May, that's probably a direct result of some very clear thinking from their government because they're doing 50,000 tests a day.

'In this country we're doing 10,000 per day, although the government are targeting 100,000 each day by the end of the month.

'Our managers do not want to be back on the pitch unless the players have been tested. But at the same time the government must confirm that is OK, because the tests must be made available first - if there's a shortage - to care workers, patients, NHS staff and their families.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-8208751/Richard-Bevan-says-season-resume-players-tested-coronavirus.html

Football has been suspended indefinitely due to escalating coronavirus crisis

Bevan has also heavily criticised proposals to implement an 'amazingly tight schedule', which estimates that the EFL season may be completed across 56 days.

And following the news that clubs were sent a letter from the trade union, which stated their hope that the campaign could be completed in the summer, he said: 'You're going to have to get the support of the coaches and managers. You do not do that by not talking to them.

'You do not get the end-product or working together if you just send a letter out without actually taking their advice or thoughts.'

The LMA have been heavily involved in recent talks concerning players taking wage cuts amid the pandemic, with pressure on senior figures in the sport having been ramped up following calls for footballers to act.

IMHO this is a very foolish statement as, no matter if you test everyone or not, unless every players are confined to a place without outside contact, then they can just leave the testing place and be infected the next minute... thus not safe for other players to have anyone go back home etc