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Football London
Football London
Sport
Jamie Kemble

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham handed boost as Premier League find solution for supporters

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham could yet play in front of their own fans this season.

The Premier League was given fresh hope when the government confirmed a certain number of fans could return to stadiums on May 17, just days before the final weekend of the season.

But since then, doubt was cast over the Premier League would allow games in front of fans due to sporting integrity, the reason being that given there would only be one matchweek remaining after May 17, some teams would be able to play in front of fans and not others.

But there appears to be a solution in the offing.

Under fresh Premier League proposals, as reported by The Times, mid-week fixtures could be shifted to later in May to ensure each team plays at home once with fans before the end of the season.

Matchweek 36, which are all mid-week games, would become matchweek 37, played in the week leading up to the final weekend of the season.

That would allow everyone to play at home with a select amount of supporters, removing any questions over a lack of sporting integrity.

The plans are far from set in stone at this point, though. Premier League clubs will have to vote on the proposal and, of course, it will all be dependent on how the coronavirus pandemic evolves.

The government has asserted that the dates are only guide dates, the earliest possible dates for restrictions to be relaxed in varying degrees.

That would mean any delays could put the Premier League back at risk of having no fans before the end of the season.

But for now, the solution - as long as everything goes to plan - is without doubt good news for every club and their respective fans.

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