London Mayor Sadiq Khan believes that it is too soon to bring Premier League football back to the capital, according to the Evening Standard.
The Government have backed the Premier League’s Project Restart proposal, for a resumption of the 2019-20 season sometime in June.
The proposal initially outlined plans for all remaining fixtures to be played at neutral venues but this has reportedly been kiboshed by member clubs.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is quoted by Standard Sport as saying “everybody would prefer to play home and away if at all possible”.
However, in a blow to the return of football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a spokesperson for Khan has said that he would protest any top-flight sport being played in London, which has been one of the British cities worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The spokesperson told the Evening Standard: “Sadiq is extremely keen for the Premier League and professional sport in general to resume. However, with the country still in the grips of this crisis, and hundreds of people dying every day, he believes that it is too early to be discussing the resumption of the Premier League and top-flight sport in the capital.
“As a Liverpool fan, Sadiq, of course, wants the Premier League to return, but it can only happen when it is safe to do so, and it cannot place any extra burden on the NHS and emergency services.”
Of the Premier League’s outstanding 92 fixtures, 22 are scheduled to be played in London, and a further five at Watford’s Vicarage Road on the outskirts of the capital.
