A ban on fans attending Premier League matches will be discussed at a Government crisis meeting with sports authorities tomorrow.
And the threat of matches being played in empty stadiums is now a real possibility with Government and health officials desperate to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
So far major sporting events have been allowed to go ahead with spectators in the UK.
But ministers and senior government officials will tomorrow discuss an action-plan for banning fans from attending football if the crisis worsens.
A Premier League source said last night: “We have plans in place and can implement them immediately if we are told to play matches in empty stadiums for health reasons.
“As yet that has not been close to happening but we are following official guidelines and advice from health officials and they will take that decision, not us.”
England's Wembley friendly with Italy at the end of the month is also now under severe threat with Italy the worst hit of any European country.
The meeting – attended by FA , Premier League and EFL officials - will be hosted by the government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in London.
Some Serie A matches in Italy have been played behind closed doors and with cases of Coronavirus approaching 200 hundred and two confirmed fatalities already in the UK, there is a growing acceptance that the Premier league will be affected.
There are no plans to shut down the remaining fixture list if the situation worsens. But Premier league officials no accept games might have to be played behind closed doors.
Customary pre-match handshakes between players and officials in the Premier League and EFL were halted yesterday with fears over the spread of Coronavirus.
The measure came after the the Premier Leaguewere ordered by government health officials to “step up contingency planning".
Several clubs have also bnned their players from signing autographs and taking selfies with fans.
