Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has called for “consistency” from the Government and urged them to allow spectators back into sports matches.
A rise in coronavirus cases in the UK paused plans to re-open stadiums on a partial basis from October 1, and the Premier League is among the governing bodies who wrote an open letter urging the Government to reconsider this proposal.
League champions Liverpool were among the clubs who backed the letter, while Manchester United joined the EFL’s Twitter account in sharing a petition to let football fans attend matches at all levels.
As of Thursday morning that petition had surpassed 180,000 signatures, comfortably beyond the 100,000-mark required to be a topic of debate in Parliament.
Speaking to The Times, Masters said sport must be treated “as fairly as other activities” given concert venues are currently allowed to hold socially-distanced events indoors.
Masters said:
“It’s good news that [concert] venues can run socially-distanced events indoors, it gives them a lifeline. We are starting to see the return of the paying spectator at a ticketed event and we just believe that football should be allowed to do the same.
“We do understand why caution is needed but what we are asking for is consistency from government so that sport is treated as fairly as other activities.
“We are a highly regulated environment. We have the Sports Grounds Safety Authority in place to ensure that supporters are safe at all times and we’re outdoors in a highly stewarded environment. What we really need is clarity for our clubs and supporters and a road map from government.”
