Away fans are likely to be stopped from attending Premier League grounds next season, as officials continue to lay the groundwork for the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign.
The Premier League is set to return on September 12, and there is hope that small sections of fanbases will be welcomed back into stadiums at the beginning of October, with Arsenal being one of several clubs to have already communicated these intentions to their supporters.
According to the Daily Mail however, these plans may not include an away following, as they have been informed that any provisions to allow travelling fans into stadiums are unlikely to be made.
The coronavirus outbreak caused football to come to a halt in March, and it was brought back in June under the caveat that no fans would be able to attend matches, due to the high probability of spreading the deadly disease.
These plans passed relatively successfully, but the UK government is now under pressure to begin the next phase – reopening stadiums to supporters.
There are set to be attendance restrictions from 20-30% of a stadium’s capacity for the initial phase of allowing fans back into grounds, leaving little room to manoeuvre when it comes to including visiting crowds.
So, the Premier League is currently working to create a tailor-made plan for each club, depending on stadium design, transport links and local infection rates, which would permit a minority of home supporters to watch their team in action.
Top-flight officials held positive talks with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on Thursday over these plans, and Brighton have volunteered the Amex stadium as a potential venue for the next test events.
Premier League clubs are also planning to prioritise the accommodation of season-ticket holders, until grounds are able to be filled at full capacity. These restrictions make it almost impossible for away teams to bring their own support to matches.
While the sight of any supporters being allowed back into grounds is a major step in the right direction for football, many will be cautious over this move, with the number of cases beginning to climb once more in several severely affected countries.
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