Newcastle’s season in doubt as Project Restart faces revolt

Premier League plans to play their remaining fixtures at neutral venues are in doubt, with one top-flight chief warning of a club revolt against the proposal.

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Paul Barber believes there area lot more clubs than the bottom six who are against the idea of playing the Premier League’s last nine rounds of games on neutral venues, behind-closed doors.

Speaking to the Mirror, “If this is such a big issue for a significant number of clubs - and Ithinkitis-andit’smore,inmy opinion, than just the bottom six which keeps being touted.

“I don’ t think this is a big six clubsvs bot tom six clubs issue, I think clubs at every level have concerns about neutral venues.” The Seagulls’ chief executive points to the Bundesliga plans top layout their games at club stadiums as a fair example of what the Premier League can do – when safe.

“I think it has to be looked at again otherwise we will have an impasse and it will create another delay and more difficulty and we don’t want that,” he said. "We want to return to playing, we want to finish the season and do so when it’s safe and when it’s fair.

"I don’t like the briefing that goes on behind the scenes to create a scenario where one small group of clubs are made to look like the bad guys.

“There are genuine concerns at all levels of the league about neutral venues so I think the way some people have painted it as a bottom si xv st he rest are misguided and wrong.

“Everybody at this stage of the season has a level of self-interest which is totally understandable, totally reasonable because we’re all competing at different levels for different things. We don’ t think it’ s right, we don’t think it’s fair.

"We can’t support something that is going to put our club at a disadvantage… to support something that puts my club at a distinct disadvantageand increases the jeopardy that we face in any given season doesn’t make any sense.”

*Newcastle and their rivals have not yet got the‘ green light’ to play their remaining fixtures behind closed doors.

That’s according to culture secretary Oliver Dowden, who has urged caution over the Premier League' s plans top layout the rest of the season behind closed doors.

He told BBC Radio 4: "They' ve not got the green light. If we can get a plan that works then I'd like us to be able to go ahead with it because I think it would be good for the nation, it would be good for football as a whole."