At the shareholders’ meeting on 1st day of this month, the Premier League clubs were told that in order to finish this season, they first needed to agree to play in the neutral stadium.
Xinhua News Agency, London, May 11 (Reporter Zhang Wei) Premier League CEO Masters said on the 11th that they would consider the feasibility of continuing to play the remaining 92 games of the season with the main away game system. Previously, the Premier League had said that the prerequisite for restarting the game was to adopt neutral venues, but it was explicitly opposed by many clubs.
20 Premier League clubs met again on the same day to discuss the specific matters of restarting the season. Masters said that all clubs still maintain their firm determination to end the season. But he also stressed: “Our first consideration will always be the safety of players, coaches, staff, fans and a wider group. Therefore, before talking with players and coaches, we will not reach any agreement.”
The Premier League plans to organize players to talk with coaches later this week, “only after consulting players and coaches can we enter the next stage, namely, the club resumes training, but it must be on the premise of ensuring social distance.” Masters said. He also revealed that the Premier League has appointed a company responsible for virus detection in the training bases of various clubs.
Masters also mentioned the venue problem in the restart plan, saying bluntly that “all clubs are obviously more inclined to guarantee home games when possible”, therefore, the dialogue between the Premier League and relevant government departments continues.
At the shareholders’ meeting on 1st day of this month, the clubs of the Premier League were told that if they want to finish this season, they must first agree to play in the neutral stadium. In order to reduce the probability of fans gathering, the Premier League will choose 8 to 10 stadiums according to the judgment of the police and the sports venue safety management agency. However, Brighton, Aston Villa and Waterford all expressed their opposition publicly.
According to the detailed explanation of the adjustment measures to deal with the new coronavirus epidemic announced by the British government on the 11th, professional sports events in England will not be restarted until June 1. If the control of the epidemic reaches the official expectation, the cultural and sports activities here may be allowed to be held and broadcast from June 1.
In addition, according to BBC reports, the Premier League club may need to return 0.34 billion pounds to the broadcaster even if it is guaranteed to finish the rest of the season in the empty field.