The United Kingdom (UK) government has given the green light for the restart of competitive football in the country.
Britain’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that the government has cleared the Premier League and English League (EFL) to resume the competitions starting June.
According to Dowden, it is now up to the football authorities to formulate, agree and finalise the details of their plans to return.
The return of the Premier League has, however, been faced with problems, with reports saying that significant number of clubs are opposed to playing matches behind closed doors. Also, a number of clubs are not buying into the idea of playing at neutral grounds, as one of the contemplated measures of containing the spread of coronavirus.
Other stakeholders are wary that the safety of the players is not guaranteed even with the measures that are to be taken. The government has, however, made it clear that football will only return when precautions have been taken.
“The Government and our medical experts will continue to offer guidance and support to the game ahead of any final decision which would put these plans into action. We all agreed that we will only go ahead if it is safe to do so and the health and welfare of players, coaches and staff comes first,” said Dowden.
