Football news - Government 'opening the door' for English football to return in June
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Updated 14/05/2020 at 17:36 GMT
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden says the government is “opening the door” for the return of football in England in June.
Roberto Firmino of Liverpool celebrates scoring their 2nd goal with Virgil van Dijk during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC at Molineux on January 23, 2020 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
Image credit: Getty Images
Dowden chaired a meeting on Thursday between the Premier League, English Football League and Football Association.
He said the discussions were “positive” and paved the way for football to return next month after a three-month suspension due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“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 in a statement.
“The government is opening the door for competitive football to return safely in June.
This should include widening access for fans to view live coverage and ensure finances from the game's resumption supports the wider football family. It is now up to the football authorities to agree and finalise the detail of their plans, and there is combined goodwill to achieve this for their fans, the football community and the nation as a whole.
“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.”
The Premier League met earlier this week and discussed plans to return to action on June 12, while teams have been allowed to train in small groups.
However, England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam has urged a "measured approach".
"There will be small, carefully measured, step-wise approaches to see what can be achieved safely. The first of those is to return safely to training, still observing social distancing.
"We will have to see how that goes before we can even think about moving on to the return of competitive football matches."
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