FANS will once again be banned from ALL English football stadiums from tomorrow morning after a rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
Liverpool and Everton were the only remaining Premier League sides allowed to host supporters – until an announcement by health secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday afternoon.
Anfield will once again be empty after tonight’s game with NewcastleCredit: EPA
The entirety of England, with the exception of the Isles of Scilly, will wake up in either Tier 3 or 4 on New Year’s Eve.
Only clubs inside Tier 2 areas are allowed a maximum of 2,000 fans inside grounds.
The East Midlands, North East and parts of the South Coast are among the regions entering Tier 4 restrictions – which now encompass almost 80 per cent of the population.
The move is one of many recent setbacks for football amid a sharp increase in cases across the country.
A number of games have been postponed in recent weeks due to outbreaks of the virus inside squads.
Tottenham’s game with Fulham on Wednesday evening was called off only hours before kick-off after a spike of cases in the Cottagers camp.
Newcastle were forced to postpone a trip to Aston Villa earlier in December with Monday’s game between Manchester City and Everton also cancelled.
Next month’s hotly-anticipated North-West derby between the league leaders Liverpool and second-placed Manchester United is just one fixture now taking place behind closed doors.
And some are calling for an extended break to minimise the disruption.
SunSport understands a small number of clubs have privately floated the idea – but Premier League chiefs remain determined to carry on with their current plans.
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce said after his side’s loss to Leeds, which came after a single positive test in his squad, that a ‘circuit-breaker’ may be necessary.
He said: “Everyone’s safety is more important than anything else.
“When I listen to the news that the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus, we can only do the right thing, which is have a circuit break.
“I am 66 years old and the last thing I want to do is catch Covid.
“As much as we’re getting tested – we had one positive this week – it seems to be creeping round.
Can we please get this two week circuit breaker thing off the table. Players may get four-five days off. What is that going to do?
Gary Neville
“No matter how hard we try, no matter how many times we get tested, how we wear our masks, how we sanitise our hands, we’re still catching a lot infections round the country.
“If that helps [circuit breaker], let’s do it and let the season run a little longer when we get through it.”
However ex-England defender and shareholder in League Two Salford Gary Neville dismissed the idea.
He tweeted on Wednesday: “Can we please get this two week circuit breaker thing off the table.
“The players would have to carry on mixing and training to be ready in two weeks for a match.
“They may get four-five days off. What is that going to do? Would have to be a long break to do anything meaningful!”
Neville’s sentiment was echoed by Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish – who replied to the pundit’s tweet with the comment ‘Bang on!’
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
