London Mayor Sadiq Khan believes it is too early to restart the English Premier League football competition as the United Kingdom is still in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic, media reported Tuesday
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2020) London Mayor Sadiq Khan believes it is too early to restart the English Premier League football competition as the United Kingdom is still in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic, media reported Tuesday.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said in a statement on Monday that the government has signaled the possibility of allowing the competition to resume by June 1.
"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," a spokesperson for the Mayor's office told Evening Standard's sports section.
The Premier League, the world's most-watched domestic football competition, was suspended mid-March with each team having nine or 10 games left to play. London has three major clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham - and a host of others that have yet to play 22 matches in London, the Standard reported.
"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," the spokesperson added.
Several footballers also expressed dismay at the news of a possible return to action, fearing that prolonged close contact and extensive traveling may put footballers and team staff at risk of infection.
UK media reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has been actively engaged in negotiations with public health experts and football officials to bring back football at the earliest possible time to boost the nation's morale.
