Local Police 'Ready' To Host Any Liverpool Match; Bayern Munich Players Accept Salary Cut Until 'End Of Season' and More (Football Round-up)
Merseyside Police said that it would be very happy to see any match take place at Anfield or Everton's home ground Goodison Park.
Local police in Merseyside have said they will be ‘ready’ to hold any of Liverpool’s Premier League matches at Anfield, despite the UK's football policing head suggesting otherwise. Deputy chief constable Mark Roberts of South Yorkshire Police said games, including any that could potentially help Liverpool clinch the title, would be moved to neutral venues at local police’s request.
Merseyside Police said that it would be very happy to see any match take place at Anfield or Everton's home ground Goodison Park.
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"Merseyside Police is ready to provide whatever policing is required of us in relation to games being played at our Premier League stadia once the season restarts," the force said in a statement to the Liverpool Echo.
"In relation to crime and disorder we have no objections to any of the Everton or Liverpool home fixtures being played at their respective grounds.
The Premier League is set to restart on June 17 after games were suspended. Games are going to be played behind closed doors with no spectators. The fear though is that home fixtures may cause supporters to gather outside stadiums in large crowds.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressed hope that Liverpool fans and supporters will be the best ‘keep at home followers on this planet.’ Liverpool are just two wins away from clinching the English title for the first time in 30 years.
Bayern Players Accept Salary Cut
Bayern Munich players accepted a salary cut till the “end of the season” to help the Bundesliga champions through the coronavirus pandemic, club president Herbert Hainer said.
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In April, Bayern players had taken a 20 per cent reduction in salary, but Hainer has not put a cap on how large the cut was this time.
“It is very satisfying to see that our team understands the situation and will again give up part of their salary until the end of the season,” he said in an interview with the German daily Bild.
Bayern sits ten points ahead of Borussia Dortmund -- albeit having played a game more -- and look set to extend their record breaking streak of eight consecutive titles. Bayern beat Dusseldorf 5-0 in a Bundesliga fixture played yesterday.
The German top-flight season will end on June 27. Bayern though could also be a part of the German Cup final on July 4.
Changing of Champions League Final Venue
UEFA is planning to move the Champions League final from Istanbul and is looking at other locations as the schedule has been hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The UEFA executive committee will meet on June 17 to see what ways the competitions that were suspended in March will take place without fans in stadiums.
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The European body is planning to complete the elite club competition in August after the delayed domestic leagues of the remaining sides have finished. As it stands the Champions League round of 16 is to be completed.
The final was supposed to take place on May 30 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
“It seems what they want to do is to play the quarterfinals and semifinals at the same venue,” Getafe president Ángel Torres told Spain’s Onda Cero radio. “It seems they will take the decision on June 17.” Getafe will plate Inter in the round of 16.
15 Fit Players Enough for Teams
Premier League clubs with only 15 fit players are still going to play matches if the season resumes next month, as planned. West Ham vice chairman Karren Brady revealed new details from the May 28 conference call between clubs when they agreed to restart the albeit after the government’s approval.
The season was suspended in March after positive cases of coronavirus at Arsenal and Chelsea forced sides to go into self-isolation.
“There are obvious and genuine concerns about what happens to your match results if your club has a number of players testing positive for coronavirus, or is in self-isolation, and as a result you simply cannot field your usual or strongest starting XI,” Brady wrote in her column in Saturday’s edition of The Sun.
“Well, as long as you have 15 fit players (including one goalkeeper) made up from either your 25-man squad list or from your under-21s you will be deemed to have a team fit enough to fulfill the fixture.” she added.
Serie A to Restart in June
Serie A will resume with four catchup matches postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. The league began scheduling a calendar after the 20 clubs had a meeting. A day after the meeting Italy’s sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora gave the league the all-clear to resume on June 20. The Italian Cup, which was stopped at the semifinal stage, is going to end a week before the league restarts.
The 25th round of fixtures which include — Atalanta vs. Sassuolo, Hellas Verona vs. Cagliari, Inter Milan vs. Sampdoria, Torino vs. Parma will take place on the weekend of June 20-21. The remaining matches will be scheduled for the following week.
Italian media reported Atalanta’s home match is going to be played first as a symbolic gesture. Atalanta is situated in Bergamo, one of the cities hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The final of the Italian Cup will take place on June 17 in Rome. The first legs of the semifinals were already played. AC Milan drew with Juventus 1-1, and Napoli won 1-0 at Inter.
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