Leeds United fans in the are set to have to wait until 2021 until they can return to matches after a ‘tier 4’ national lockdown was announced on Saturday evening.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown until December 2 due to the rising cases of coronavirus, with a U-turn in the government’s planning following three-tier regional restrictions.
Professional football will be allowed to continue amid the fresh lockdown, unlike back in March when a hiatus occurred that postponed the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
However, matches will continue to be played behind-closed-doors for the foreseeable future and it’s expected that fans will not be able to attend live matches again until 2021, with no clear end in sight.
When the new season began in September, it was hoped that fans could be slowly reintroduced to stadiums and a number of practice events went ahead. However, they were brought to a halt amid the rise in cases.
That led to a delay in the plans for supporters to return and the latest setback will mean an extended wait, with the majority of fans not being able to watch live football from the stands since March.
This will be a significant blow to clubs across the country, with the continued absence of matchday revenue significantly impacting their cash flow - and calls for financial help for the EFL will certainly increase.
