Premier League chiefs face struggle to convince police not to use neutral venues despite club opposition to plan

PREMIER LEAGUE bosses face an uphill battle to persuade police chiefs to lift the demand to use neutral stadiums.

League chief executive Richard Masters held a virtual meeting with Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the country’s top football cop, and officials from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport after the 20 PL clubs urged him to seek a change in policy.

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Richard Masters held a virtual meeting with the country’s top football cop after the 20 PL clubs urged him to seek a change in policy

It was Dep Chf Con Roberts who told Premier League leaders there were 12-15 “high risk” matches that simply could not be played at home venues over fears of fans congregating outside grounds.

That led to the initial decision to proceed with the neutral stadium plan, before clubs united to urge Masters to push for home grounds to be used.

Dep Chf Con Roberts told SunSport in a statement that the meeting had been “positive”, adding: “We will be jointly exploring a range of options to identify a way forward.

“That needs to be one that minimises any risks to public safety and unnecessary pressure on public services but facilitates a sensible restart to the season, to support the economic and morale benefits associated with the sport.”

And while the Dep Chf Con’s comments appeared initially to represent a softening of his position, SunSport understands that is not the case.

Police want Premier League clubs to play at eight neutral venues

WATER-TIGHT

Instead, league bosses have been told that the only way they can have any hope of getting the police to reconsider is if they can show it can put in place mitigation efforts that will ensure no undue pressure on the emergency services and that all other issues over health and safety had been covered off.

One source explained: “These conversations need to be had and we are of course ready to have them.

“Everybody wants to be constructive and that was the tone of the talks but any proposed solution will have to be water-tight.”

The view “underpinning” the police position, as clubs have already been told, is that everybody involved with staging a match behind closed doors – not just players and staff but the general public – must be deemed to be safe.

Anything deemed to put an extra squeeze on the health service or policing issues, such as people gathering in congested urban areas, would be a red light issue.

Masters insisted on Monday the clubs believed fans would listen to their pleas not to congregate near grounds.

But even some chairmen recognise that might be whistling in the wind in certain situations.

Roberts plans further talks with league chiefs later this week but is understood not to believe he should be guided by what happens when Germany’s Bundesliga, including the Ruhr derby between Dortmund and Schalke at the Westfalenstadion, returns on Saturday.

Police chiefs believe there must be a British solution to the issues, with decisions in Germany no more relevant than those in France and Holland where football has been banned until September.

And if Dep Chf Con Roberts remains unconvinced, the Premier League clubs will have no option other than to accept that home stadiums are not going to be available if they want to preserve some £400m in pre-paid broadcast revenue.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk