Arsenal, Tottenham & Chelsea voice opposition to neutral venues as Premier League restart plans could unravel

Arsenal, Tottenham & Chelsea voice opposition to neutral venues

It looks like the cavalry has arrived to support Watford, Aston Villa and Brighton.

According to reports on Tuesday, the day after all 20 Premier League clubs held their latest round of talks in an effort to complete the 2019-20 season, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea have all voiced their objections to plans to play the remainder of the season on neutral grounds.

We speculated on Monday that Tottenham and Arsenal were anti the neutral venues plan after the Telegraph claimed that up to 8 clubs had problems with the proposal. The paper reported:

Brighton, Aston Villa and Watford have gone public with their opposition to using eight to 10 neutral venues, which could include Wembley, to finish the season, with West Ham United, Norwich and Bournemouth also understood to be against the plans along with two clubs further up the league.

On Tuesday, the Mail have outed the three London clubs as having joined the opponents to the neutral venues plan:

Sportsmail can reveal that at least two-thirds of the 20 clubs on Monday’s conference call — including Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal — expressed opposition to the plan to play all the remaining 92 matches at neutral venues. This is a significant shift in opinion, which led the Premier League to pledge to discuss the matter again with the Government.

RESTART REBELLION: Two thirds of Premier League clubs now oppose neutral venues as chiefs insist teams WILL be relegated even if season is curtailed | @MattHughesDM, @SamiMokbel81_DM, @MikeKeegan_DM https://t.co/0ASWjqbg5K

— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) May 11, 2020

The Telegraph has also reported that Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea have joined the group opposing neutral venues.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs are understood to be among to long list of Premier League clubs that wants to scrap the idea of games being played at neutral grounds. @Matt_Law_DT, @JBurtTelegraph, @JPercyTelegraph and @SamWallaceTel report – https://t.co/JyxoTD8v2d

— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) May 11, 2020

 

How many clubs are actually against neutral venues? Maybe 12

While the Mail suggested around 8 Premier League clubs oppose the use of neutral stadia, the Times believes that 60% of the Premier League could vote against the proposal.

The Times report that “as many as 12 clubs expressed their opposition to neutral venues”. This is also backed up in the Telegraph.

Which clubs make up this group of 12?

As previously noted, the following nine clubs are against the measures: Brighton, Watford, Villa, West Ham, Norwich, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.

The Telegraph now report “it is also believed that Leicester City, Newcastle United and Everton are among the clubs that are not in favour of recommencing the season at neutral venues”.

That leaves the following 8 Premier League clubs backing the neutral venues plan: Liverpool, Man City, Man United, Wolves, Sheffield United, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

 

Will opposition to neutral venues end Project Restart?

In order for the Premier League to finish the season, 14 Premier League clubs need to vote in agreement.

At this stage, it’s unclear just how determined the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are with preventing the Premier League from finishing the season on neutral grounds.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, said:

I think everybody would prefer to play home and away if at all possible. And I think it’s clear to see that some clubs feel more strongly about that than others.

 

What’s the problem with playing Premier League games at neutral venues?

Project Restart has included plans to stage the remaining 92 Premier League matches at neutral grounds for safety reasons.

These safety concerns have several facets.

Some, including the police, fear that supporters could congregate outside grounds if games are all staged ‘as normal’.

While there’s also another concern: some fear that some Premier League grounds, particularly the older stadia, may not be best suited to maintain social distancing measures.

However, there are several objections to moving to neutral grounds, on the following lines:

– Sporting integrity

– Doubts over claims neutral venues will deter fans from gathering

– Commercial losses

Moreover, many have noted that, in Germany, who are set to restart the Bundesliga this Saturday, there are no plans for games to be staged at neutral grounds.

And if that’s not convincing enough, the EFL’s plans to complete the season are working on the basis that all clubs will host games at their respective grounds.

Why should a League Two club be able to play at home, while a Premier League can’t?

 

Will the neutral venues proposal be scrapped?

Possibly, although it’s too early to say for sure.

However, Premier League CEO Richard Masters did indicate that the plans could change, saying:

The dialogue is ongoing. It’s not finished yet and nobody is saying they are going to do anything unless the issue is resolved. That’s not the situation we’re in.

 

Is the issue of neutral venues even that important?

Some may wonder what all the fuss is about regarding neutral venues.

Why is this issue being elevated over more pressing and serious concerns over the Covid-19 health and safety concerns?

Slowly slowly, Premier League footballers are beginning to reveal their fears on playing football during a global pandemic.

Man City’s Sergio Aguero has said he’s “scared” of returning to work, while Brighton’s Glenn Murray has said “I have children at home. I wouldn’t want to jeopardise them.”

On Sunday, after Brighton confirmed that they’ve recorded another positive Covid-19 result, Norwich’s Todd Cantwell reacted on social media, writing: “We are just people too [shrug emoji]”.

We are just people too 🤷🏼‍♂️ https://t.co/XMKH9FYhsJ

— Todd Cantwell (@ToddCantwell_10) May 10, 2020

While on Monday night, Tottenham defender Danny Rose, currently on loan at Newcastle, said:

The Government’s saying bring back football to boost the morale of the nation.

I don’t give a f— about the nation’s morale. People’s lives are at risk. Football shouldn’t be spoken about till numbers have dropped massively. It’s b——–.

Danny Rose on return to football:

“The governments saying bring back football to boost the morale of the nation, I don’t give a f*ck about the nations morale. Peoples lives are at risk!”

“Football shouldn’t be spoken about till numbers have dropped massively. It’s bollocks.” pic.twitter.com/bdWBbTiZFR

— The Spurs Web ⚪️ (@thespursweb) May 11, 2020

 

Also see: Best Netflix, Amazon & YouTube football documentaries & movies to watch during coronavirus isolation

9 best football documentaries to watch on ESPN+ during COVID-19 quarantine

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