Premier League

MANCHESTER, England — The chief executive of Premier League club Watford has said that plans to resume the season at neutral venues are unfair and that there could be enough clubs in opposition to stop the idea.

The Premier League's "Project Restart" envisages a return to play in June, once given the green light from government, with the remaining 92 matches held behind closed doors at neutral venues.

Scott Duxbury, CEO of Watford, says at least six clubs are against the plans — 14 of the 20 need to vote in favour for the proposals to be agreed.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min completed a three-week basic military training course in South Korea on Friday and picked up an award as the top performer among 157 trainees, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.

All able-bodied South Korean men must serve around two years in the military but athletes who win gold at the Asian Games or a medal of any colour at the Olympics receive exemptions.

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said clubs should discuss the idea of playing halves of less than 45 minutes when matches resume after the coronavirus suspension, to help players manage their workload.

Soccer in England has been stalled since mid-March due to the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 190,000 people in the United Kingdom and killed 28,734.

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra discussed one of the hardest moments of his career on his former club’s latest podcast. On Monday, Evra recounted his 2011 encounter with former Liverpool striker Luis Suárez, giving more details on when the Uruguayan racially abused him during a Premier League match.

Goalkeeper Loris Karius has terminated his contract with Turkish side Besiktas following a dispute over unpaid wages, the on-loan Liverpool goalkeeper said on Monday.

Premier League clubs are bleeding money and their finances would be entering "uncharted waters" if the season that was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic is not finished, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has said. 

Professional soccer has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak which has killed more than 28,100 people in the United Kingdom, and the league is no closer to a return after a meeting with all 20 clubs on Friday. 

Of all the clubs that can feel hard done-by the suspension of football, Wolves certainly has a case to be near the top of the list. After a six-year spell outside the Premier League, Wolves firmly established itself in England’s top division last season with a seventh-place finish and qualification to this year's Europa League.

The Premier League and its clubs are "frightened to death" about publicly backing the resumption of the season as they do not want to be held liable if someone dies because of the coronavirus, television pundit Gary Neville said on Sunday. 

Professional soccer has been suspended since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has infected over 182,000 people in the United Kingdom, killing more than 28,000. 

Dave Kitson's bid to become the players' union chief has been opposed by former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, while the head of anti-racist campaign group Kick It Out has raised concerns over his past comments about England forward Raheem Sterling.

Ex-player Kitson is aiming to replace Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief Gordon Taylor, who has been at the helm since 1981, saying the body's response to the COVID-19 crisis was "an absolute embarrassment."