Report: Supporters may be back in stadiums by October

[TLW]

Liverpool fans could be able to return to Anfield to watch the Reds play in as soon as five months time.
 

The Mirror reports that fans being permitted to go to Football grounds is on a five-point checklist which Boris Johnson will deliver to the nation on Sunday as a roadmap to getting back on track post Covid-19.

The list is a month by month guide of reopening and while Football fans is clearly stated, there is a all-important caveat attached.

October
 

“Possible return of football fans to matches. Gyms could be allowed to re-open. But any further lifting of restrictions to get back to normal life would be in doubt amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus or an outbreak of seasonal flu.”

A sentiment which has been stated throughout the Covid-19 pandemic is that human health must come first and everything else is secondary.

And that is certainly the case when it comes to walking through the turnstiles again.

The time will undoubtedly come, but only when it is more than safe to do so.

 

Meanwhile there has been a high level of discussion over the last few weeks regarding when the halted season will re-start and more recently where these games can be played.

June has been mooted as the most likely month for that to take place and a vote among the league's stakeholders is scheduled to take place on Monday after the announcement by the Prime Minister.

Although that could be delayed until later in the week in order to include the opinions of managers and captains.

If given the all-clear, the current campaign could be concluded by the end of July.

Germany are leading the way the Footballing restart in Europe with Chancellor Angela Merkel giving the green light for the Bundesliga season to resume with nine rounds still to be played.

Germany has banned large events with crowds until 24 October, so games will be behind closed doors, but the DFL has developed a health and safety plan that would see only about 300 people or near the pitch during matches, to minimise the risk of infection.


 

View full article

[Grinch]

Couldn't read past "human health comes first".  Bullshit

[VladimirIlyich]

49 minutes ago, Grinch said:

Couldn't read past "human health comes first".  Bullshit

It should have read 'Wealth.'

[dockers_strike]

We're not going to be locked up forever and neither do I want to be. The Dutch are saying no spectators until there's a vaccine.  Could be a long time empty stadiums because depending who you want to believe, there may never be an effective vaccine. The Swedes say lockdown and social distancing is a load of bollocks.

 

Who do you believe, because I dont know?

[aws]

13 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

We're not going to be locked up forever and neither do I want to be. The Dutch are saying no spectators until there's a vaccine.  Could be a long time empty stadiums because depending who you want to believe, there may never be an effective vaccine. The Swedes say lockdown and social distancing is a load of bollocks.

 

Who do you believe, because I dont know?

I think they're all best guessing.

 

Some scientists saying the lockdown is a waste of time and the Swedes have got it right. Some say we should be in lockdown for months to avoid a second wave. Some say we'll all get it anyway. Some say you have to wait until we're all vaccinated. Some say you can't get immunity so a vaccine is pretty useless. Some say a vaccine might work but the virus could then mutate.  

 

The only certainty is that that if we don't start the economy again soon we'll be fucked long term. 

[Trumo]

13 hours ago, TLW said:

Germany are leading the way the Footballing restart in Europe with Chancellor Angela Merkel giving the green light for the Bundesliga season to resume with nine rounds still to be played.

 

Germany has banned large events with crowds until 24 October, so games will be behind closed doors, but the DFL has developed a health and safety plan that would see only about 300 people or near the pitch during matches, to minimise the risk of infection.

 

 

That's probably the first time I've read anything about the sort of numbers expected behind closed doors. With playing squads, coaching staff, medical staff, match officials, PL officials like match assessors, security staff, St John's staff and media (plus other factors I'm sure I've missed), it must still add up. I don't think club directors and officials need to be present, especially not if they'd have to travel in from abroad like the FSG guys.

 

What I don't understand is why the idea of playing our remaining games abroad is NOT being given short shrift. How do you get people there? How many people need to be included? What makes you think that taking people to a part of the world that has not been infected, wherever that is (Gary Neville has been prominent in suggesting this idea), will not accidentally or otherwise introduce the infection there?

[dockers_strike]

48 minutes ago, aws said:

I think they're all best guessing.

 

Some scientists saying the lockdown is a waste of time and the Swedes have got it right. Some say we should be in lockdown for months to avoid a second wave. Some say we'll all get it anyway. Some say you have to wait until we're all vaccinated. Some say you can't get immunity so a vaccine is pretty useless. Some say a vaccine might work but the virus could then mutate.  

 

The only certainty is that that if we don't start the economy again soon we'll be fucked long term. 

And for sport as well. Totally agree.

[dockers_strike]

31 minutes ago, Trumo said:

 

That's probably the first time I've read anything about the sort of numbers expected behind closed doors. With playing squads, coaching staff, medical staff, match officials, PL officials like match assessors, security staff, St John's staff and media (plus other factors I'm sure I've missed), it must still add up. I don't think club directors and officials need to be present, especially not if they'd have to travel in from abroad like the FSG guys.

 

What I don't understand is why the idea of playing our remaining games abroad is NOT being given short shrift. How do you get people there? How many people need to be included? What makes you think that taking people to a part of the world that has not been infected, wherever that is (Gary Neville has been prominent in suggesting this idea), will not accidentally or otherwise introduce the infection there?

I read an article that said just over 300 people would be required per match. Over a third, approximately 120, were media ie tv and radio match commentators, sports writers. Apart from camera men \ women and a couple of guys to make sure the pitch side microphones and advertising are working, the rest can do their job remotely watching and reporting the game on monitors. Even George doesnt need to be there.

 

Playing abroad sounds a good idea in theory but fuck knows what objection Norwich, Villa, Brighton, Watford, West Ham would make about that. There's also the problem of getting all the teams, match officials wherever 'abroad' it is, are the facilities any better and reliance on local tv companies to provide feeds so really, I think it is a non starter myself.

[Chocoholic]

There's a high degree of merely 'telling supporters what they want to hear' and kicking that can down the road to October. It's highly unrealistic as far as I can see.

 

The issue of taking games abroad would have an unwelcome dangerous precedent to it as well. If it were to happen, then the ground will have been broken to do it at a time when there is no Covid-19 restrictions, for the purposes of promotion, as has been discussed before, with all the '39th game' bollocks.

[an tha]

4 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

We're not going to be locked up forever and neither do I want to be. The Dutch are saying no spectators until there's a vaccine.  Could be a long time empty stadiums because depending who you want to believe, there may never be an effective vaccine. The Swedes say lockdown and social distancing is a load of bollocks.

 

Who do you believe, because I dont know?

Just about the most reasoned take on the whole thing i have seen is this perspective:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52543692

 

 

I find it hard to believe that we aren't going down this road and quickly.

[3 Stacks]

8 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

We're not going to be locked up forever and neither do I want to be. The Dutch are saying no spectators until there's a vaccine.  Could be a long time empty stadiums because depending who you want to believe, there may never be an effective vaccine. The Swedes say lockdown and social distancing is a load of bollocks.

 

Who do you believe, because I dont know?

Sweden are basically alone in the world in what they're doing and they're doing much worse than neighboring Norway and Finland. They are a complete exception. The situation there isn't completely disastrous relatively speaking but it's likely that's a function of demographics, population size/density, lifestyle, etc... and not that they're smarter than everybody else. 

 

Anyway, on topic, there's no way fans will be in stadiums in October. Just no way.