The Premier League’s plans to resume matches in neutral grounds are on a knife-edge because of opposition from as many as eight clubs.
Top-flight football has been suspended since March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The plan to complete the season includes playing matches behind closed doors at neutral grounds but resistance to that could jeopardise the whole of Project Restart.
There are 92 games still to be played, and the Crystal Palace chairman, Steve Parish, has warned that the competition “might never fully recover” if the season is not completed.
But at least 14 of the 20 clubs need to be in favour of the plan for it to be approved. A vote could be held next Monday, and if seven or more clubs vote against using neutral grounds — there are suggestions that some will comply if relegation is abandoned this season — other options will have to be explored.
The players will also need to be on board, and the Premier League is expected to organise meetings between club captains and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) representatives with medical experts to answer any concerns. The PFA is expected to insist that no player who has reservations about playing should be made to do so.
Much will hinge on the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, which is due to be announced on Thursday, and what it says about football resuming.
The government and police are believed to be in favour of eight to ten neutral grounds being used to reduce the chances of large numbers of fans gathering at stadiums and risking spreading the virus. Two clubs who are against the neutral grounds proposal have told The Times that at least eight of the 20 are of the same view — mainly, but not all, near the bottom of the table. However, they insist that few, if any, clubs want the season to be ended now.
Parish accepted that playing at neutral grounds was not ideal but said any failure of Project Restart, which aims to resume matches in June, would threaten next season. He said: “There are no easy answers, but we need to try to play if we can make it safe.
“I believe we can and should continue, however imperfect the other elements: neutral venues, empty stadia etc. If we can’t make it work then I fear for next season. The game might never fully recover.”
Gordon Taylor, the PFA chief executive, said players needed assurances from medical experts and the government if they were expected to take to the pitch again. “They need to be convinced by the government and by medical experts that it is safe for them and for their families to return,” Taylor said.
Parish set out his position more fully in a column for The Sunday Times, where he said Liverpool, who are 25 points clear at the top of the table, should be given the opportunity to secure the league title.
“I want to complete the competition for reasons of sporting integrity,” he said. “I want to crown Liverpool champions and give every other club a fair crack at the best league position they can achieve. I certainly don’t want to have difficult conversations about curtailing, voiding and points per game.
“The ramifications of each are complex and could involve legal challenges that run on for months, if not years. But, yes, it is partly about the money. And we should all care about the money.”
Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England defender, accused the Premier League of being “frightened to death” to back plans to restart the season for fear of being held liable should something go wrong.
He wrote on Twitter: “The PL are having a CV [coronavirus] nightmare. They keep spouting Health First but then brief constantly ‘We have to Re-Start’. I’d respect them more if they said ‘We accept the increase in Health Risk but it’s one we are willing to take’. They won’t as they are frightened to death!”
Brighton & Hove Albion are the first club to oppose the move to play on neutral grounds. Paul Barber, the chief executive of the club, said to do so would damage the integrity of the league because some clubs would have more of an advantage. Brighton are two points above the relegation zone.
“Clearly, we must all be prepared to accept some compromises,” Barber said, “But at this critical point in the season playing matches in neutral venues has the potential to have a material effect on the integrity of the competition.”
For lower leagues, restarting behind closed doors will be even more complicated. Simon Hallett, the chairman of League Two Plymouth Argyle, said: “We do not want to play behind closed doors and believe that a resumption of football should not take place until it is safe for crowds to come and watch. We suspect the season will not be completed in the normal way and if the decision is taken to play behind closed doors we will do so. However, if any player is uncomfortable with playing we will not make them do so.”
Hallett proposed tables should bedecided by points per game, but with no relegation. That would rely on the Premier League having 22 teams instead of 20 next season, an idea that has not yet been addressed by top-flight clubs.