Premier League Will Tell Players to 'Turn Their Faces' During Tackles as Part of Project Restart

The Premier League will make drastic proposals to captains, senior players and managers later this week in a bid to keep 'Project Restart' on track.

The league is currently planning a return next month and is likely to be played behind closed doors for the remainder of the season, if not even into the 2020/21 campaign.

But to make sure everything stays on track, the Telegraph reports a handful of bizarre proposals will be made during a meeting on Wednesday when the Premier League holds talks with players and managers.

Among the Premier League's suggestions will be for players to 'turn their faces away' after making a tackle, while also avoiding any face-to-face interactions at all times.

There will rightly be a strict hygiene regime which will be brought in to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, but it's reported the Premier League want to create a 'new normal' with some of their more unusual proposals.

This is all part of a three-step plan by the Premier League to get football returning as soon as possible, as long as it's safe to do so.

The first is Wednesday's meeting, which will need the support of players and managers in order for training to resume within the next two weeks. The Telegraph's report doesn't make it clear exactly what percentage need to be on board, or if it needs to be unanimous across the league.

Step two will be to arrange a set of 'contact training protocols' which players must adhere to as they return to fitness before the Premier League restarts.

The third and final step will be to create a set of 'return to play protocols' - likely including the aforementioned proposal about tackling. All three steps can only be signed off one at a time and each one will need approval from Public Health England.

As it stands, the government has paved the way for the Premier League to resume after 1 June.