British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that Premier League football will continue during the renewed UK lockdown until 2 December.
Fans of the Premier League football will be relieved to hear that elite sports will be allowed to continue during a four-week ‘circuit break’ lockdown which will start in England this week.
Premier League will continue through UK lockdown
Johnson said that elite sport, including Premier League football, will be allowed to continue to play due to the strict testing regimes they already have in place. Amateur sport will, however, be prohibited.
By definition in football, elite sport, encompasses not only the Premier League but also the entire English Football League and the National League (Conference). The Women’s Super League and top divisions will also continue.
When asked if football would be allowed to continue, Johnson said: “I can say yes to the Premier League. We will get through this. But we must act now to contain this autumn surge.”
UK lockdown announced
The Premier League and all other professional leagues in England shut down in March when the first lockdown was declared, and the process of returning to play was a long and arduous one involving seemingly endless talks between stakeholders and government.
Lower league football in England has been hard hit by restrictions on fans entering stadiums and EFL Chairman Rick Parry has issued several calls for government to bail out football.
The renewed UK lockdown comes as coronavirus cases experience a so-called ‘second wave’ surge in England and across the European continent.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was pleased that there would be no further breaks in the season with teams already struggling to cope with the workload created by coronavirus measures.
“It is obviously what we wanted [football to continue] and I think we proved we can keep the bubble safe,” Klopp said after Liverpool’s 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday.
“Everyone had cases, that is the time we are in, but we could isolate these cases pretty quickly to prevent spread.
“I think it never happened at a training ground but it has happened when travelling, with international teams, normal life. I think we proved we can do it.
“And in a lockdown it is really important for the people that they can do things they like to do, and watching football is obviously something they like to do. I am happy we can continue.”
