HOME RULE!
Liverpool cleared for title glory on Merseyside
THE UK government has paved the way to Liverpool securing the Premier League title on Merseyside by insisting that a decision on neutral venues lay with a local authority group based in the city.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are two wins away from the silverware but could claim it with victory against Everton at Goodison Park if Manchester City fail to win their first game back against Arsenal. Otherwise, beating their city rivals could set the Reds up to collect their first Premier League trophy against Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Asked if clubs like Liverpool should accept the six games earmarked for neutral
venues, Oliver Dowden, the UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, declared it was for the city’s obscure Safety Advisory Group, made up of councillors, police, football club representatives and public health experts, to decide.
The prospect of the Liverpoolbased organisation deciding that the city’s population cannot be trusted to keep away from the Merseyside derby against Everton in their first match back — and then the Anfield fixture against Crystal Palace — does seem highly unlikely.
But council sources insisted that the group, which usually consists of at least 12 people and chaired by deputy mayor Wendy Simon would base the decision on rigorous analysis placed before it by health experts.
Speaking at the daily Downing Street briefing, Dowden said: ‘There is a well-established mechanism through the local safety authority to determine whether it is appropriate to have a match as scheduled at a home venue or not.
‘If a determination is made that it is not safe to do so, then clearly fans should listen to that.’
Clearly determined to create a feel-good factor with the return of the Premier League, he said: ‘Football’s coming back.’
The prospects of the Merseyside derby being removed from the list of six games initially earmarked for a neutral venue were further enhanced when Dowden announced that the Goodison Park match would be released by Sky Sports as a free-to-air fixture, as part of a strategy to prevent fans gathering at the stadium.
Sky Sports sources last night indicated a willingness to make other high-profile games available for free-to-air broadcast, if it helped ease the way to the completion of all fixtures at home grounds. Asked by Sportsmail if the free access to the match might prevent fans gathering and make the staging of the game on Merseyside more likely, Dowden said: ‘Your point is correct. One of the reasons why I was pushing free-to-air broadcasting was precisely this point — to discourage fans from going to other peoples’ houses to watch these matches and also the stadia themselves.
‘But the decision where the match should take place is not [one] I can take.’
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, offered a far tougher position on fans gathering and insisted police should have the biggest say. He said: ‘It is clearly a police matter.’
He warned that if fans ignored the pleas of clubs and police and gathered at stadiums, the location of fixtures would have to be reviewed.
Van-Tam said: ‘Fans gathering is exactly the kind of thing that went far beyond the kind of social distancing we continue to practice and the small numbers we need to stick to as of Monday [tomorrow].’
There are no provisional neutral venue fixtures for relegationthreatened sides. But Sportmail understands that additional relegation games could be added if that aspect of the resumed season creates crunch matches in which large numbers are likely to gather.
West Ham’s last game — at home to Aston Villa — could certainly fall into that category if David Moyes’ side struggle. West Ham’s game at Norwich three games earlier and subsequent home match with Watford could also go neutral.
Liverpool’s push for the right to secure the title on Merseyside came as Dowden outlined plans for the general opening up of sport from this week. He said: ‘Football, tennis, horse racing, Formula One, cricket, golf, rugby, snooker and others are all set to return to our screens shortly.’
Horse racing will lead the way at Newcastle tomorrow, while the first major meeting follows on June 6 at Newmarket, including the 2,000 Guineas.
But the upbeat tone obscured the fact that there will be no domestic cricket until August and that the West Indies Test series is also
shrouded in uncertainty. Clearance will be needed for a touring party of 30 or more people. For the return of Formula One at Silverstone, the UK government will need to exempt sport from the 14-day quarantine requirements currently imposed on overseas visitors.
There was no indication at yesterday’s briefing, however, about whether that will happen.
Premier League players will be subject to the UK government’s track and trace directives so could be asked to isolate for 14 days and miss games if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.