Coronavirus: Premier League to return on 17 June after three-month lay-off

The Premier League will return on 17 June - three months after the 2019-20 season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

No matches have been played since Leicester City's 4-0 win over Aston Villa on 9 March.

Fixtures that were due to have been played just days later were postponed after Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus on 13 March, leaving the campaign in limbo.

The first games to be played upon the league's resumption will see Aston Villa host Sheffield United, while Manchester City welcome Arsenal.

Both of those matches had originally been postponed due to domestic cup ties, and every club will have played 29 league games once they are completed.

Every team will then be left with nine games to play, with dates for further fixtures - which will all be played without supporters in the stadiums - still to be confirmed.

All 92 matches will be broadcast live across Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport and Amazon Prime.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the TV deal was a "positive solution" for clubs and supporters, although noted that all plans were subject to change if safety requirements were compromised.

"Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday June 17," he said.

"But this date cannot be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters is our priority.

"Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches."

The announcement of the Premier League's return comes after clubs voted unanimously to resume contact training, following some sessions carried out in smaller groups and with social distancing measures in place.

Squads can now train together under the watchful eye of their coaches, and are allowed to tackle and practice routines involving large clutches of players, such as corners and free-kicks.

The Premier League said "strict medical protocols" were in place at top-flight training grounds in England to make sure everyone involved was as protected as possible from COVID-19.

Players and staff will continue to be tested twice a week - a strategy that has resulted in a handful of confirmed cases since training resumed during the first phase of "Project Restart" earlier this month.

Since it began its testing programme, the league has announced a total of eight positive results, including Watford defender Adrian Mariappa and Burnley assistant manager Ian Woan.

Watford striker Troy Deeney has said he will not make an immediate return to training because of health concerns, while Chelsea have given midfielder N'Golo Kante permission to stay home, too.

Deeney has been particularly outspoken regarding the greater threat COVID-19 appears to pose to black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.

Sky News analysis suggests 65% of all health and social care workers who have died with COVID-19 in the UK came from a BAME background.

Deeney said: "For black, Asian and mixed ethnicities... they are four times more likely to get the illness - and we are twice as likely to have long-lasting illnesses.

"Is there any additional screening? Heart stuff to see if people have got problems? No.

"Okay, well I feel like that should be addressed."

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The Premier League will be hoping its return will go as smoothly as the Bundesliga, with the German top division now having completed two rounds of fixtures in empty stadiums.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, it means their all-but-guaranteed title win will be confirmed without fans present.

Jurgen Klopp is two wins away from guiding the Anfield side to their first ever Premier League crown - they were 25 points clear of holders Manchester City when the season was halted.

It remains unclear when the second and third English tiers - the Championship and League One - may return to action, although clubs have indicated that they would like to complete their campaigns.

Other top European divisions have not been so fortunate, with the French Ligue 1 and the Scottish Premiership among those cancelled due to the pandemic.

Next week from Monday to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.

We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too. If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk