11 May 2020

Breaking: Premier League can resume from June 1, Government announces

The Government has announced that the Premier League is free to resume the season from June 1.

Live sporting and cultural events will be allowed to return to TV screens as of the start of next month, but will have to be behind closed doors.

Premier League clubs are meeting today to discuss the issues around ‘Project Restart’, which could see the 2019/20 campaign resume on June 12.

However, the meeting today will not see a date set in stone for the competition's return.

It is believed that crowds will not be allowed in stadiums in England until at least next season, a period that could even stretch into 2021 if a vaccine for the virus is not found.

The date of June 1 set out by the Government as a safe time to resume sporting events is the same date given for the possible re-opening of some schools and non-essential shops.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveils the 50-page document detailing the UK's route out of the lockdown, a plan that he outlined to the British people in a televised address on Sunday evening.

German football is expected to be the first of Europe's top five leagues to get back underway following the pandemic.

Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the Bundesliga the go-ahead to resume in the second half of May and clubs have agreed for the season to return this Saturday, May 16.

Contrastingly in France, the government has banned all sporting events until at least September, meaning the Ligue 1 campaign finished prematurely.

And in Spain, La Liga President Javier Tebas is hopeful Spanish football will make a comeback on June 12.

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