Premier League clubs are bracing for a return to games behind closed doors from next week, with the government increasingly expected to introduce restrictions that will take effect after Boxing Day.
The set of fixtures between December 28 and 30, which some clubs including Liverpool yesterday argued should be moved to ease pressure on threadbare squads, could now take place in empty stadiums after prime minister Boris Johnson said that “we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public” following a two-hour cabinet meeting.
Government sources indicate that December 28 would be a starting date for a “circuit-breaker” that could stretch to the end of January depending on data.
Reports suggest restrictions could mirror Step 2, which was implemented in spring and would ban large gatherings at events, the closure of indoor hospitality and no household mixing.
Clubs are watching on with interest and the prospect of fans being kept at home was discussed in yesterday’s lunchtime meeting. The league’s stance remains that it will be led by the government but there are growing frustrations around the wait and see approach.
Should the turnstiles be closed again, all top-flight games will be broadcast on television - as first reported by the Daily Mail.
But the decision could have grave consequences for clubs further down the pyramid who are far more reliant on gate receipts instead of broadcasting income.
Several proposals are being considered by Johnson, whose popularity has plummeted following several reported lockdown breaches of his own, and he is under additional pressure from anti-restriction backbenchers.
Yet the weight of evidence following the spread of the omicron variant and demands from scientists and health chiefs will likely leave him with no other option but to introduce at least a partial lockdown.
Yesterday the Welsh administration moved all sporting events behind closed doors, affecting the three EFL clubs - Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.
