LONDON - Brighton are facing criticism from Premier League rivals for using testing kits supplied by the NHS after a third member of Graham Potter’s squad tested positive for coronavirus.
Several clubs have held back from testing players until the Premier League’s privately operated system is in place. That is expected to be signed off at Monday's shareholders’ meeting.
Brighton, one of at least six Premier League clubs who have raised objections to Project Restart, have not breached testing protocols, but their willingness to use NHS tests has raised eyebrows.
While only a handful of testing kits have been procured by Brighton, there is concern about how Premier League clubs using hospital supplies will be perceived and the issue is likely to be discussed at today’s meeting.
Providing comprehensive testing is one of the keys to ensuring football can return as planned on June 12.
The Premier League have reached an agreement with Hong Kong-based biotechnology company Prenetics to deliver a £4million programme, which will see players tested twice a week, with results available inside 24 hours.
The new protocols are not expected to apply until players are permitted to train in small groups, which is pencilled in for a week today.
Brighton are standing by their testing procedure, which despite resulting in three positive results has been extremely limited. It is understood the club obtained a small number of testing kits from Brighton and Sussex Hospital before the coronavirus outbreak was classified as a pandemic in March.
Only four Brighton players have been tested, with three positive results and one negative.
In addition, the club have loaned the Amex Stadium to the national testing effort, with up to 1 400 tests taking place daily, so they are adamant that they are not depleting NHS resources.