Players of Egyptian Premier League sides will start undergoing PCR tests on Sunday as clubs gear up for the resumption of the domestic competition after a lengthy hiatus. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said in a statement on Saturday that coronavirus swabs will be also taken from technical staff members, adding that clubs will not bear the costs of the tests. Last week, the EFA said it had been given the green light by the government to resume the Premier League, which has been on hold since mid-March as part of the measures the country took to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The league is scheduled to restart on 25 July, with 15 October proposed as an end date. Resuming the league could provide a much-needed financial boost to many of the competition's cash-strapped clubs, who lost key revenue from advertisement and sponsorship deals. The EFA sought to allay some of the fears expressed by more than a dozen clubs by outlining the precautionary measures it would take to make sure the competition would be trouble-free. Players and technical staff members would have to undergo PCR tests before every game, the governing body said. Anyone who tests positive would be isolated, while those who came in contact with him would be re-examined. The identity of those who test positive would not be revealed. The EFA did not clarify whether it could re-suspend the competition should a big number of positive cases is discovered. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
