Premier League to become ‘TV event’ with ‘up to four matches a day behind closed doors at Wembley’ in June or July
THE Premier League could return in June or July as a solely “TV event”, according to reports.
It’s even been suggested that Wembley could be used to stage up to FOUR games a day to make it happen.
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With most sides having nine or ten games remaining, clubs are desperate to finish the season to avoid repercussions with TV companies – that could see them have to pay back huge sums to some of the networks.
This would plunge several top flight sides into financial disarray, with many already struggling to cope with the loss of matchday revenues.
Only West Ham and Southampton have so far agreed wage cuts with their players.
And Tottenham, for example, are missing out on £5million revenue per home game.
A source in contact with Premier League chairmen has told The Times: “By June or July they will be playing games solely as TV events.
“If they have to play four games a day at Wembley to get it done, they will do that.”
NOTHING OFFICIAL
No official return date has yet been put on the Premier League, still suspended indefinitely.
Meanwhile, this week in Germany, league chief Christian Seifert unveiled ambitious plans to get the Bundesliga back underway by early next month.
Their health system, however, is far better equipped to handle the volume of cases than the UK, making it less of a strain to test the estimated 240 people needed for each match to take place smoothly.
Seifert told the New York Times: “It won’t be the case that one doctor or one nurse that is really relevant for the system cannot be tested because football players have to be tested.
“The concept is to give certainty to players, to their families and to society as well.”
While in Germany, all top flight stadiums will be used for matches to be played behind closed doors, England may have to rely on just one – Wembley.
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The national stadium is no stranger to staging Premier League matches, having acted as temporary home to Tottenham Hotspur between August 2017 and March 2019.
Spurs broke the English top flight record attendance while playing there, when 85,512 attended their 1-0 win over Arsenal in February 2018.
But it will be a much eerier affair this time around, with no fans permitted to attend the matches.
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