Macauley Bonne’s Charlton can’t afford coronavirus tests

Charlton Athletic coach Lee Bowyer says the club cannot afford to test players every two days for coronavirus, a condition the English Football League is currently discussing as part of Project Restart.

The English Championship season was put on hold in mid-March due to the pandemic and plans to resume the season are underway. Clubs and the league’s chiefs have been holding meetings, setting up conditions that will avoid the spread of the virus.

Players are being prepared to return to isolated training around May 16.

According to the London News Online website, Bowyer admitted his cash-strapped club do not have the cash flow to meet some of the conditions

He said: “If we are expected to buy kits for each player to be tested twice a week, we cannot afford it – not every two days.

“Those tests are not going to be an option unless the EFL pays for them. But would they do that for every club?

“We are trying to save as much money as we can because it has become a difficult situation.

“We are going hand-to-month. Last month we got paid. If we aren’t this month, it becomes a worry. That will show we are in big trouble.

“These things are out of our hands.”

Charlton is home to Zimbabwean striker Macauley Bonne who joined the side in the pre-season. The club was in the relegation zone when football was suspended in mid-March.

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