Fans could attend two more matches before the end of the season
The Premier League are discussing whether or not to move the 37th round of games back in order to allow fans to attend another round of games, the Athletic are reporting.
Prime minister Boris Johnson unveiled his roadmap out of lockdown on Monday, which included up to 10,000 fans being allowed in stadiums from May 17th onwards. With the Premier League’s calendar in its current state, this would see a limited number of fans return for the final matchday of the season.
However, the Athletic’s report states there are concerns that this could affect the sporting integrity of the competition, because half the league would not feel the benefit of having their home fans supporting them on the final day.
Fulham vs Newcastle is a particularly important case in this matter, with both clubs fighting for survival. The Premier League want to avoid the case of Fulham playing a crucial match in front of home supporters but Newcastle not getting the same benefit in the previous round of fixtures.
As a potential remedy, Premier League chiefs are considering moving the penultimate gameweek, currently set to take place on Saturday 15th May, to the midweek afterwards, so fans can attend both rounds of games.
For this move to go ahead, emergency Premier League shareholders’ meeting would be required.
There is also the fact that the FA Cup final is likely to take place on May 15th, meaning two games will probably have to be moved anyway to accommodate the finalists.
