Football matches in England will be ordered to be played behind closed doors imminently, reports have stated.
The number of coronavirus cases in the UK rose to 460 on Wednesday, representing the biggest single-day increase, and experts have warned that number will continue to rise.
Across Europe, action has already been taken that has seen football matches being played behind closed doors and the Times reports that similar action in the Premier League and EFL could follow imminently.
A meeting of the government’s Cobra committee is expected to officially announce that the UK had moved from the ‘contain’ phase of their coronavirus action plan to the ‘delay’ phase, which could include social distancing measures.
As a result, football fans will be unable to attend matches for an unspecified amount of time, and matches will also not be shown in pubs to avoid a congregation of people.
Season-ticket holders and other ticket holders will be able to follow the matches via live streams in their home but the 3pm broadcasting blackout will not be lifted, although further coverage during the standard slots will be permitted.
The plan may be implemented once the amount of confirmed cases in the UK rises above 500 which, following the rise in cases over the past week, is expected to be surpassed in the latest figures on Thursday.
