Liverpool hit back with strong statement after mayor labels PL return a ‘non-starter’

Liverpool have this evening released an official club statement, confirming their ‘disappointment’ with the comments of city mayor Joe Anderson surrounding the resumption of the Premier League season.

Liverpool’s dominance

Jurgen Klopp’s men have of course enjoyed a historic domestic campaign to date.

As things stand, the Reds sit a staggering 25 points clear of 2nd-placed Manchester City atop the English top-flight.

This comes with Liverpool having dropped points in just 2 of their 29 league fixtures this season.

The Merseysiders’ relentless charge towards the club’s first league title in 30 years, however, was of course halted by the COVID-19 crisis last month.

Before football across Europe was brought to a standstill, Liverpool required just 2 more wins to ensure Premier League glory.

Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah celebrates with teammates after he scoring his team’s first goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on March 7, 2020. (Photo by GEOFF CADDICK / AFP)

‘It would be farcical’

Widespread hope of course remains that top-level English football will soon resume, a decision which would no doubt see Liverpool clinch the title within weeks.

One high-profile individual, however, who feels that such a course of action remains an absolute ‘non-starter’ is Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson.

When drawn on the subject of the Premier League getting back underway earlier today, Anderson suggested that Liverpool’s fans could not be trusted to stay away from Anfield, upon Jurgen Klopp’s men securing the title:

‘Even if it was behind closed doors, there’d be many thousands of people who would turn up outside Anfield,’ Anderson explained during an interview with BBC Sport.

‘There’s not many people who would respect what we were saying and stay away from the ground, a lot of people would come to celebrate so I think it’s a non-starter.’

The Liverpool mayor was then asked whether playing out fixtures at a neutral venue could prove a safer option, though Anderson was again quick to shoot down such a proposal:

‘Even then, I guess that a lot of people would turn up outside Anfield to celebrate and I understand the police’s concerns around that, so there’s a real difficulty here for us.’

‘I think it would be really difficult for the police to keep people apart and maintain social distancing if they were going to celebrate outside Anfield. It would be farcical.’

“A lot of people would come to celebrate.”

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has said resuming the Premier League is a “non-starter.”

Full story: https://t.co/fFP4WKD6dR pic.twitter.com/WPvDTS7CqN

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 30, 2020

‘Disappointed’

Those in charge at Anfield, however, have since made clear that they are not prepared to accept the assumptions of Anderson without a fight.

A short time ago, Liverpool released an official statement, in which the Reds hit back at the city’s mayor.

After first making their ‘disappointment’ clear, the European champions went on to assure that they remain in constant contact with the club’s supporters’ groups, to ensure that all involved remain aware of their obligation to ‘respect social distancing measures’, when football eventually gets back underway:

‘As a club, we are aware of and disappointed by comments attributed to Mayor Joe Anderson in a media interview which was published today.’

‘As well as a lack of evidence to support such claims, we would also point to recent discussions with Mayor Anderson relating to the possibility of any behind-closed-doors football, which concluded that it is important that key stakeholders across the city continue to engage and work collaboratively.’

‘In recent weeks, we have engaged with supporters’ groups who have informed us of their determination to respect social distancing measures and, in the event of a resumption of football being announced, we would continue to work with them and other key stakeholders in keeping with our collective desire to achieve this crucial objective.’

Liverpool Football Club statement.

— Liverpool FC (at 🏠) (@LFC) April 30, 2020

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