Stanley fans face lock out until 2021
IT could be next year before Accrington Stanley supporters are able to cheer on their team from the terraces of the Wham Stadium.
Reds fans have gone six weeks without their football fix as all competitions were suspended due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
It had been hoped the League One season would reconvene in June or July with games played behind closed doors and fans returning later in the year for the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
However, accorinding to Ben Robinson, chairman of League One rivals Burton Albion, EFL chairman Rick Parry said during a meeting this week that he believed fans will not be allowed to attend matches until next year.
With all football on hold, clubs in the lower leagues of English football are already concerned about their long-term futures due to the stoppage in play.
And six weeks after all professional football was suspended in England, the concerns of EFL clubs are growing that they will not survive due to the financial implications and loss of revenue.
With many clubs fearing they may be unable to pay players’ wages for April, The English Football League and Professional Footballers’ Association has already proposed a 25 per cent wage deferral for League One and League Two.
To further worsen those fears, Robinson confirmed that during a meeting with EFL clubs on Tuesday, Parry admitted he doesn’t believe fans will be allowed back in stadiums until 2021.
“There is a lot of uncertainty. We don’t know when the season will be concluded, if it is,” Robinson said. “An even bigger concern is about next season. In the meeting, Rick
Parry, the EFL chairman, said that he thought the season might not start until next year when the games are played with fans attending.
“You can imagine the financial implications of that are considerable.
“He didn’t think crowds would be in stadiums until 2021, that was his personal view.
“It could take as long as that to get gate receipts flowing back into clubs.”