Coronavirus effect on football

Merseyside Police say no reason any matches can't be played at Anfield or Goodison.

"Liverpool and Everton will next week oppose plans to make them play at neutral venues when the Premier League restarts, with Merseyside Police having no objections to any matches at Anfield or Goodison Park “in relation to crime and disorder”.

Jürgen Klopp’s runaway leaders will be denied any opportunity to win the club’s first league title in 30 years at Anfield under plans outlined by Mark Roberts, the national lead for football policing and deputy chief constable of South Yorkshire Police.

Police want six “high risk” matches switched to neutral venues amid the coronavirus pandemic - Everton v Liverpool, Manchester City v Liverpool, Newcastle v Liverpool, Manchester City v Newcastle and Manchester United v Sheffield United - and “the game in which Liverpool could secure the league title”, according to a statement.

That could be the Merseyside derby on the weekend of 20-21 June should City lose at home to Arsenal on the reopening night of 17 June. Other games, including several London derbies, are also being considered for neutral venues.

National police want the matches moved to reduce demands on officers during the public health crisis and to discourage fans from gathering outside stadiums. Merseyside Police, however, have confirmed they have no problem with matches taking place in Liverpool as scheduled, although the final decision rests with the local safety advisory group.

Liverpool’s city mayor, Joe Anderson, claimed in April that the season should be cancelled and Klopp’s team awarded the title to avoid the possibility of fans celebrating outside Anfield. His comments were met with dismay by Liverpool, who said there was “a lack of evidence to support such claims”.

Their position has not changed during discussions over Project Restart and the club rejects the suggestion that Liverpool fans, and football supporters in general, can not be trusted to observe lockdown rules. There was further unease at Anfield when it emerged several of their games were being considered for neutral venues. The games identified were not proposed or discussed at Thursday’s Premier League meeting.

Both Merseyside clubs will argue their case for playing at home - only the rearranged derby effects Everton – at a safety advisory group meeting expected next week. SAG meetings involve the clubs, supporters groups such as the Everton Fans Forum and Spirit of Shankly, Liverpool council, police and other emergency services plus the Sports Ground Safety Authority.

Liverpool have been working on detailed plans to play without fans inside or outside Anfield since football stopped in mid-March. The club accepts there are risks but believes they are manageable. For their part, Everton question the sporting integrity of playing the derby at Anfield in December but not the return fixture at Goodison. The clubs will be prevented from hosting matches at Anfield or Goodison, however, should SAG refuse to issue a licence. Given the unprecedented situation it is possible SAG could refuse on government advice.

The assistant chief constable of Merseyside Police, Rob Carden, confirmed: “Merseyside Police is ready to provide whatever policing is required of us in relation to games being played at our Premier League stadia once the season restarts. In relation to crime and disorder we have no objections to any of the Everton or Liverpool home fixtures being played at their respective grounds. We have a good working relationship with both clubs and their fan groups, and are content we can work together in advance of the restart of the season.

“Decisions in relation to public health risk are made by the government and Public Health England and ultimately the final decision rests with the Safety Advisory Group, which is chaired by Liverpool City council in line with the decisions made nationally in relation to sporting events.”

Commenting on the matter during an interview with BeIN Sports, Klopp said: “We didn’t hear that yet [where games will be played]. I’m pretty sure we can sort the season here as well in Liverpool. We have the best fans in the world so now we can have the best stay-at-home fans in the world.”

The Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, said on Friday he expected a decision on neutral venues in the next seven to 10 days and that he wanted the season “to be played out on the pitch and try to keep it as fair as it possibly can be”. Masters also said there was optimism surrounding a phased return of fans to stadiums during the 2020-21 season.

In a statement the Premier League said its ambition “is to complete all of our remaining fixtures this season home and away, where possible. We are working with our clubs to ensure risks are assessed and minimised, while cooperating with the police at a local and national level.”

It added: “Discussions with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and UK Football Policing Unit have been positive and are continuing. We are prepared for all outcomes and have a neutral-venue contingency.”

I reckon they'll end up being played at the grounds they're meant to be played at. This part - "Other games, including several London derbies, are also being considered for neutral venues.", if it happened, would mean more clubs being affected and more clubs therefore actively opposing the idea.

The UK government has approved the return of domestic competitive sport behind closed doors from Monday.

The 'phase three' guidance paves the way for live sport to return on 1 June for the first time since mid-March.

It is up to individual sports to assess the risk and consult athletes, coaches and support staff.

Horse racing is among the first to resume with a meeting at Newcastle on Monday, while the Premier League is due to resume on 17 June.

Clubs in England's top flight returned to 'phase two' contact training on 25 May.

"The wait is over. Live British sport will shortly be back on in safe and carefully controlled environments," said the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden.

"This guidance provides the safe framework for sports to resume competitions behind closed doors. It is now up to individual sports to confirm they can meet these protocols and decide when it's right for them to restart.

"This is a significant moment for British sport. By working with clinicians every step of the way, we are creating the safest possible environments for everyone involved."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/52862637

All systems go but I do wish this Tory government didnt hold us in such contempt. Think very few fans would be arsed to congregate outside Anfield like they are worried about.

No positive results!

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1266795359482904576

All systems go but I do wish this Tory government didnt hold us in such contempt. Think very few fans would be arsed to congregate outside Anfield like they are worried about.

Think they need to worry about the other fuckwits climbing all over each other at beaches

Groups of six from tomorrow?

Think they need to worry about the other fuckwits climbing all over each other at beaches

Just seen the scenes on Bournmouth beach. Outrageous really.

Just seen the scenes on Bournmouth beach. Outrageous really.

 

oh no has granny gone out without a top again.

Just seen the scenes on Bournmouth beach. Outrageous really.

Insane  ..... totally F***ing insane.

https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/397490-Jürgen-klopp-premier-league-re-start-interview

Having Liverpool’s entire squad able to train together at Melwood once again has been a ‘massive, massive lift’, according to Jürgen Klopp.

After the Premier League unanimously voted in favour of returning to contact sessions this week, the Reds have been able to work out with a full complement of players since Thursday.

Indeed, on the same day, the division announced a provisional restart date of June 17 for the competition, meaning Klopp and his team now have a target to tailor training routines towards.

Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com at Melwood on Sunday, Klopp said of being able to have the whole group together: “It’s absolutely brilliant, a massive difference. The weather is just outstanding, it means all the things we have to do outside – we don’t have changing rooms here, that makes it all slightly difficult – but with the weather it’s absolutely no problem, it’s rather nice to do it this way.

“So, we enjoy it a lot. We could work on all the things we wanted to work on. The first week was already really good with the small groups, I enjoyed that as well, because it was just important to get on track again, to get used to the pitch and ball and boots and all that stuff. And now we work on tactical things, that works really well.

“The boys are still the same really good bunch of boys – and that helps a lot. We are in a good moment, we enjoy it. Hopefully we can make progress in the next two or three weeks, there are a lot of things that need to be organised still, obviously. We need to get hopefully a couple of [bits of] information but we take it like it is and use each second we are together.”

Despite a return to contact training, social distancing and hygiene protocols remain firmly in place at Melwood, making for a much-changed venue to the one Liverpool voluntarily suspended activity at in March.

One-way systems, temperature checks on arrival and strict measures on access to the various areas of the facility are just some of the health and safety procedures that have been implemented.

“It’s [been] a massive organisational challenge, to be honest,” said Klopp. “What Ray Haughan did in that department is unbelievable – where we can park, where we can walk and all that stuff.

“When you make the step from 10 players of two groups of five, to nearly 30, that’s massive. And we still have to stick to the same things. So, we are fully concentrated when we come in here, let me say it like this; that we do the right things, that we get the temperature tested and all these things. It’s not like it usually is.

“It’s completely fine but it’s just when you come here it’s not like, ‘Yippee!’ – you think, ‘Where do I have to drive, where is somebody who gets my temperature?’ and all that stuff. That’s how it is in the moment.”

Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com last week, Klopp described the period as being similar to a pre-season schedule in terms of the training work being done with players to raise their match fitness and sharpness.

“We don’t have to be match-fit now,” the manager reiterated. “We try it with increasing intensity, day by day, but we have to be fit on the 19th or 20th, whichever day they will give us against Everton, I think. That’s the moment when we want to be at 100 per cent.

“It’s roundabout three weeks until then, that’s good. We want to use that and we will. It’s our pre-season; how I said, we don’t expect a long break in between the seasons, so this is a very important period for us. We never had nine weeks without football training in our lives – since we played football, pretty much. That’s all different but interesting as well.

“We enjoy the situation, that’s really all good. And it makes all the difference for us, to be honest, to come together and have this hour or two here together. You get this contact, feedback as well on the pitch directly, not via a computer or a screen. It’s a massive, massive lift.”

With the Premier League set to confirm the division’s fixture schedule in due course, Klopp highlighted work that will need to go on away from the training pitches at Melwood to arrange the team’s logistics for the restart.

“That’s what we were all waiting for,” Klopp said of the news of the provisional restart. “But now it’s always like this. You were waiting for that, somebody tells us we could start, that’s good. Now we know, from a training point of view, what we have to do when and when we have to be at 100 per cent in the best way, how we can train in different intensities. That was very important.

“Now, of course, it’s more and more interesting when we play where, the times are really important because we will see how we can organise the travel stuff. So, the situation keeps us busy, that’s absolutely OK.

“But on the pitch everything is fine, that’s really great. Around, we organise it as good as possible and use the situation.”

All systems go but I do wish this Tory government didnt hold us in such contempt. Think very few fans would be arsed to congregate outside Anfield like they are worried about.

Think fans would find it difficult to stay away. And that will be the concern that fans will gather either right outside the ground, in and around the streets or even in Stanly park. The natural reaction of fans is to celebrate together. I mean the idea that, if we are at home and need to win to secure the title, the fans won't gather in their thousands close to Anfield is unrealistic.

Would have to be a special request direct from the club and indeed the players for fans to be patient, stay at home and keep in mind the wider risk etc.

Think fans would find it difficult to stay away. And that will be the concern that fans will gather either right outside the ground, in and around the streets or even in Stanly park. The natural reaction of fans is to celebrate together. I mean the idea that, if we are at home and need to win to secure the title, the fans won't gather in their thousands close to Anfield is unrealistic.

Would have to be a special request direct from the club and indeed the players for fans to be patient, stay at home and keep in mind the wider risk etc.

Where you going to watch the match in Stanley Park? No big crowds will turn up if there is nowhere to watch the actual game.

Where you going to watch the match in Stanley Park? No big crowds will turn up if there is nowhere to watch the actual game.

Around the ground to celebrate and be there. Thousands would find it difficult to stay away after the agonising wait we've had. Could spill over into the park. That's the worry they have. Thousands turn up and social distancing becomes very difficult.

Where you going to watch the match in Stanley Park? No big crowds will turn up if there is nowhere to watch the actual game.

Yeah would be a big waste of time. Cant see it happening to be honest and if it does then I cant see it mattering if the game was at Anfield or on the moon it would still happen.

Around the ground to celebrate and be there. Thousands would find it difficult to stay away after the agonising wait we've had. Could spill over into the park. That's the worry they have. Thousands turn up and social distancing becomes very difficult.

how would you know when to celebrate if you are outside the ground? Would everyone crowd round a radio or mobile phone to watch the game?

33 of the remaining 92 games will be free to air.  All will be televised.

4 free on Amazon, 4 free on BBC and 25 free on Sky.

Amazon Prime will make its four Premier League games free-to-air when the season restarts.

Fans will not need a Prime membership to watch fixtures on the online streaming service when the top-flight campaign resumes from 17 June.

Every one of the remaining 92 Premier League games will be broadcast live across Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport or Amazon Prime.

In total, 33 of those matches will be free-to-air.

Alex Green, managing director of Prime Video Sport Europe, said: "Like the rest of the country, we are excited to see the Premier League return to action.

"We will be making all four of Amazon Prime Video's additional fixtures in the 2019-20 season available free of charge; fans will not need a Prime membership to view the games on Prime Video."

In May, it was announced that four Premier League games will be broadcast, free to air, live on BBC Sport when the season resumes.

It will be the first time the BBC has shown live Premier League matches, and the first time the broadcaster has shown any live top-flight football since 1988.

Sky Sports will make 25 of the remaining top-flight matches free to air, including the Merseyside derby on the first weekend after the resumption - 19-21 June.

how would you know when to celebrate if you are outside the ground? Would everyone crowd round a radio or mobile phone to watch the game?

Another ridiculous reply. The point I was making was that the reason they are considering having games at neutral grounds is to prevent fans gathering in their thousands outside stadiums, and that it would be difficult for our fans to stay away. And you the making the point that fans outside the ground would not know the score is beyond ridiculous.

Where you going to watch the match in Stanley Park? No big crowds will turn up if there is nowhere to watch the actual game.

Yeah your right...nobody in Liverpool will bother to go to the ground just to be there when we win the title after 30 years...

Another ridiculous reply. The point I was making was that the reason they are considering having games at neutral grounds is to prevent fans gathering in their thousands outside stadiums, and that it would be difficult for our fans to stay away. And you the making the point that fans outside the ground would not know the score is beyond ridiculous.

Oh sorry did I hurt your feelings by not instantly agreeing with you. My point still stands, if you are outside the ground then how would you watch/listen and enjoy the game, surely it would be better to stay at home and watch it on TV. I really don't think you'd have big crowds there and in any case so what, the police did nothing to disperse BLM protesters yesterday so why would they stop a handful of fuckwit fans congregating outside the ground?

Oh sorry did I hurt your feelings by not instantly agreeing with you. My point still stands, if you are outside the ground then how would you watch/listen and enjoy the game, surely it would be better to stay at home and watch it on TV. I really don't think you'd have big crowds there and in any case so what, the police did nothing to disperse BLM protesters yesterday so why would they stop a handful of fuckwit fans congregating outside the ground?

No you didn't hurt my feelings. It's a bit daft really to ask how are fans going enjoy the game if they are outside the ground. and again saying "stay at home and watch it on TV".

Don't really know why I need to explain this as millions go to watch live football. Obviously this is a different scenario but I won't make any further comment because if you don't get it that thousands of our fans want to "be there"....rather than sit in front of the telly..then I can't offer you any further assistance on this issue...sorry..

No you didn't hurt my feelings. It's a bit daft really to ask how are fans going enjoy the game if they are outside the ground. and again saying "stay at home and watch it on TV".

Don't really know why I need to explain this as millions go to watch live football. Obviously this is a different scenario but I won't make any further comment because if you don't get it that thousands of our fans want to "be there"....rather than sit in front of the telly..then I can't offer you any further assistance on this issue...sorry..

OK explain to me how you enjoy the game outside a ground when there is no big screen set up etc, I honestly don't understand that? That is why I made the point of people crowding around on a mobile phone or listening on a radio.