Football: Liverpool mayor fears fan gatherings should EPL resume

LONDON • The mayor of Liverpool fears restarting the Premier League could lead to the "farcical" situation of fans congregating in large groups outside Anfield, destroying safe distancing measures in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

When the Premier League was halted indefinitely on March 13, runaway leaders Liverpool were just two wins from clinching their first English title in 30 years.

While Premier League chiefs still hope to complete the season, their "Project Restart" plan has come under fire from former players like pundit and ex-Manchester United captain Gary Neville as well as leading officials, who all believe it is too soon to even contemplate a return to play while the virus rages on.

With over 26,000 deaths as of yesterday, Britain has the third-highest mortality rate in the world after the United States and Italy, and the existing dangers means Mayor Joe Anderson is not in favour of recommencing the league, even if games are held behind closed doors.

Claiming supporters would still swarm around Anfield and its surrounding area - especially if and when the Reds eventually claim the one prize they have been desperately waiting for - he told the BBC yesterday: "Even if it was behind closed doors, there would be many thousands of people who would turn up outside Anfield.

"There's not many people who would respect what we were saying and stay away from the ground. A lot of people would come to celebrate so it's a non-starter."

There have been reports that the remaining 92 Premier League fixtures could be staged at approved neutral venues that are well-positioned to limit the virus spread.

But Anderson is concerned that Anfield would act as a magnet for fans whenever Liverpool matches are staged, even if the team were elsewhere.

"Even then, I guess that a lot of people would turn up outside Anfield to celebrate and I understand the police's concerns around that, so there's a real difficulty here for us," he said.

"It would be really difficult for the police to keep people apart and maintain social distancing if they were going to celebrate outside Anfield.

"The best thing to do is to actually end the season. It isn't just about Liverpool - they've clearly won the league - they deserve it, they should be crowned league champions.

"The bottom line is, though, this is about health and safety, and people's lives."

Echoing Anderson's thoughts, Mark Roberts, who is Britain's highest-ranking football police official, told the Daily Telegraph fans would not be allowed to be around stadiums, if the green light to resume games is given.

Acknowledging the difficulties in imposing restrictions, he urged authorities to give the police power to "curtail the league" should the situation become uncontrollable.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS