September 28 – A deal for the English Premier League to help fund lower-league clubs severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic “could be reached this coming week” according to the country’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.
Plans for a phased return of fans to stadiums from October 1 has been scrapped due to the rising number of Covid cases, with some clubs potentially going to the wall.
Dowden told the BBC that England’s top flight needs to “start looking after the football family as a whole”.
“I’ve been in touch with the Premier League a lot over the past few days. They are working closely with the EFL (English Football League) to see how they can support them,” he said.
“The prime minister and I have been clear: the Premier League needs to start looking after the football family as a whole, and indeed they are having productive conversations. I am hopeful that they will reach a deal this coming week in relation to that, and then beyond that, look across at all sports.”
Clubs have been lobbying the government to copy other European leagues in allowing some spectators back but the authorities refuse to do so at this stage.
“It’s not just in the stadium, it’s the journey to and from the stadium as well. At each of those points there are chances for further social interaction and risk of virus spreads, so right now is not the time to do it,” Dowden argued.
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