The Premier League will ban lucrative friendly matches mid-season before the 2019-2020 season

Premier League clubs WILL NOT be allowed to hold lucrative friendly matches during next year's players' break.

For the 2019-2020 season, the Premier League offers each club a week off over a two week period for the first time.

This decision was taken to give the stars the rest after the traditionally hectic Christmas and New Year, ensuring English players a break similar to that of La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.

Thus, in January 2020, 10 teams will be given a break on a weekend, before the other 10 clubs do it next weekend.

Former Premier League leader Richard Scudamore announced last year that their clubs would be required to respect the "conditions".

"Everything comes together at a good time and the result is definitive," said Scudamore. "We will have this weekend split and we call it a" mid-season player break ".

"We do not call it a winter break, because we do not break.

"We play five games a week and five the other.

"I think it's positive, I think it's good for English football, I have to congratulate Martin Glenn, he sees nothing but winning a Premier League as good for English football."

And according to the Daily Mail, at this week's meeting between the club's shareholders, clubs will be notified of the ban on friendly matches that revolve around money – like that of Arsenal at Dubai against Al-Nasr recently -.

Clubs may however go abroad for training camps in hot weather.

The FA has long been battling for a winter break, thinking it would help players avoid fatigue injuries during the second half of the season, as well as players in Europe and in major tournaments.

A UEFA study released in 2013 indicates that players are four times more likely to be injured in the last three months of the Premier League season than the same periods in the other European leagues.

The football league continues without a winter break.