Premier League make second plea for fans to return to stadiums in warning over being financially crippled by Covid-19
FRUSTRATED Premier League clubs have made a second plea to the Government to start opening turnstiles next month.
At a hastily-arranged virtual meeting of the 20 “shareholder” clubs, league chiefs reported back from Wednesday’s meeting with culture secretary Oliver Dowden over the likely delay to fans returning.
That comes with local lockdowns affecting millions of people across the country as the Government reels from the threat of a second wave of the pandemic.
The 20 Premier League clubs concede health and safety concerns for the public must come first.
But there is growing anger at what they see as a refusal to recognise the financial storm they are sailing through.
League chief executive Richard Masters has stated that each league game without fans costs the local and national economy £20million.
The likes of Tottenham and Manchester United have already seen £30m or more in match-day revenue disappear since football resumed in June.
And that league-wide indignation boiled over at the meeting, leading to a strong attack on Government inaction.
A PL spokesman said: “The clubs reaffirmed that the continued loss of matchday revenues is having a significant impact across the league as well as on the football pyramid and local and national economies.
Sign up to play Dream Team 2020/21 now
- It’s completely free to play
- Play the traditional Season game as well as Draft
- There’s a hefty jackpot up for grabs across 2020/21
- SIGN UP TO PLAY HERE
Most read in Football
“They reiterated their commitment to ensuring Premier League stadiums will be among the safest public places, through the effective use of a wide range of mitigation measures.
“Clubs will adopt a range of common standards, which will help deliver bio-secure, safe environments for fans across the league.
“Taking into account the high safety standards which will be set by the Premier League in conjunction with the relevant public authorities, the league and clubs urge the Government to remain committed to the October 1 date for the controlled return of fans to sporting venues.”