Leeds United's 'appalled' fellow Championship side blasts EFL's restart announcement
QPR chief executive Lee Hoos says the EFL did not consult with clubs before making last night's announcement, which revealed the plan to resume Championship fixtures on the weekend of June 20, behind closed doors.
Hoos also appears to take issue with the lack of time to prepare players for action, with contact training still not having taken place since clubs returned to small group sessions last week.
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Hide AdHe said: “I am absolutely stunned by this announcement, as is our Director of Football Les Ferdinand and our manager Mark Warburton.
“Incredibly, there has been absolutely no consultation with individual clubs nor with the Championship doctors' working group by the divisional representatives - or anyone else in the Football League – regarding this matter.
“On top of that, we were only made aware of the statement 40 minutes before it was made public.
“Having spoken with Les and Mark, they share my views. We are vehemently opposed to this schedule.
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Hide Ad“The players haven’t even returned to full-contact training at this moment and yet they are now expected to be in a position to play at a competitive level in just three weeks’ time."
Hoos claims there are other clubs who share QPR's disappointment with the EFL statement.
“I have made our feelings known to the EFL and, having spoken with a number of CEOs at other Championship clubs, I am not a lone voice on this matter," he said.
“We are absolutely appalled.”
The Championship season was suspended in March with Leeds United top of the table and nine games remaining.
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Hide AdLeeds' stance has always been that they want to finish the season on the pitch and play for the right to call themselves a top flight club.
The Premier League have announced their intention to resume games on June 17, with every game shown live.
Last night's EFL statement said: "Following Saturday’s announcement by the Government to allow elite sporting events to return behind closed doors, the EFL has this weekend agreed to a provisional restart date of the weekend of 20 June 2020 for matches in the Sky Bet Championship.
"The date is subject to the strict proviso that all safety requirements and Government guidance is met; and that Clubs receive clearance from their local authorities in order to stage matches at their home grounds."
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