Other contributors: James Pearce, Patrick Boyland and Laurie Whitwell
The prospect of all remaining Premier League matches being concluded as home and away fixtures has increased amid confusion over why neutral venues were ever proposed and uncertainty about who would ultimately make that decision.
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Police guidance originally suggested up to six games — Manchester City v Liverpool, Manchester City v Newcastle United, Manchester United v Sheffield United, Newcastle v Liverpool, Everton v Liverpool and the game in which Liverpool could secure the title — would be played at alternative grounds on the recommendation of the head of United Kingdom’s Football Policing Unit, Mark Roberts.
Last Friday, the Premier League reaffirmed its commitment to fixtures going ahead at each home club’s stadium as planned, albeit without fans, just hours after a statement from Roberts said a “consensus” had been reached about using neutral sites. The Athletic has since learned of the lack of support for his plan among associated powers as well as those with influence inside football.
This has improved the chances of neutral venues only being used as a contingency. An agreement on this measure is likely to be reached between clubs at a Premier League meeting on Thursday.
This heightens the chances of Liverpool securing their first league title in 30 years on Merseyside, with their next two scheduled games set to be at Goodison Park and then Anfield against Crystal Palace.
However, if the region then sees a spike in coronavirus cases, then Liverpool — or Everton — may be forced to finish their seasons away from Anfield and Goodison on health grounds.
Several sources have criticised Roberts, a deputy chief constable with South Yorkshire Police, for taking a public order approach to a decision they believe should be based on public health grounds.
And some of those clubs whose games were on the list to be moved to neutral venues have told The Athletic of their confusion, with one saying there is a “misalignment” between regional forces and the guidance clubs were given.
The proposal was also contradicted by regional police forces in Merseyside, Manchester and West Yorkshire, who all said they were willing to police the listed games in their areas.
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Geoff Pearson, a senior lecturer in law at Manchester University, who also acts as a researcher on policing and football crowds, has been “unconvinced” by the rationale behind playing at neutral venues on the basis of disorder. He believes it “fundamentally misunderstands football fan culture” but most importantly, any decision relating to fans “should be discussed and decided at a local level, because they appreciate the geography and trends of the area best”.
Owen West, a retired police chief superintendent, head of specialist operations and an expert of progressive policing, described the neutral venues plans as based on “a fictional non-evidenced risk of disorder and hooliganism”. He suggested that thinking on the issue “is stuck in the pre-pandemic era… an idea based on the tired old narrative that fans are a problem to be managed as opposed to an asset to work alongside”.
The Premier League has since asked its clubs to ensure they secure certificates from Safety Advisory Groups to ensure the games can go ahead at their usual sites.
Initially, this presented a challenge as some experts believe the relevant legislation, the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975, only applies to events where spectators are present.
But on Monday, the regulatory body responsible for compliance with that act, The Sports Grounds and Safety Authority, released fresh guidance suggesting that “general safety certificates” would “still be in scope”, as they also cover areas around stadiums.
However, some clubs are still waiting for confirmation as to who is responsible for safety certificate applications should they be forced to play away from their own ground, as well as who ultimately makes the decision to move a game to a neutral venue.
Some experts believe any decisions about where and when to stage matches should be made by the regional committees guiding the public health response to the coronavirus, but it now appears the Sports Grounds and Safety Authority has been backed by the government to lead this process.
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The organisation said yesterday that it “is advising local authorities on key safety considerations”, before reminding that “the local safety advisory group… is the best forum to assess risks based on the latest intelligence and consider appropriate mitigations”.
The Athletic understands that Liverpool are determined to proceed with home games at Anfield — with the support of their local safety advisory group, which includes representatives from the local police, ambulance and fire services, as well as supporters’ groups. A source described this as a “moral obligation”. Figures inside the club’s commercial department have also raised concerns about the potential impact of not being able to fulfil advertising commitments at neutral venues.
This issue could be taken away from them to some degree should the title be sealed at Goodison Park. Though the Merseyside derby was earmarked for neutral venue status, Everton yesterday requested that Liverpool City Council’s safety advisory group meet at the earliest opportunity. That will happen early next week because this week is fully booked.
The group will be chaired by councillor Wendy Simon, deputy to the mayor Joe Anderson, who last month called for an end to the Premier League season because of health risks, though he has since claimed that he is open to “collaboration” in attempts to find solutions.
The government has informed local authorities such as Liverpool City Council that it will provide biometric data and other evidence to help inform the decision-making process. Among its deliberations will be the ramifications of defeat for Manchester City when they face Arsenal in the curtain-raiser for Project Restart on Wednesday, June 17, an outcome that would hand Liverpool the chance of title glory at Goodison the following weekend.
Most of the focus, indeed, will fall on Liverpool, where sources inside Merseyside Police admitted to The Athletic that, while they have no concerns about “crime and disorder” in relation to Liverpool or Everton home fixtures, there is some apprehension about how the force would handle the reaction if and when Liverpool win the league. Street celebrations are not illegal and ultimately, there is nothing to stop fans gathering — just as there was nothing forces in other parts of the country could do to prevent thousands of sun worshippers planting themselves on Britain’s beaches last weekend.
Neutral stadia proposals were first floated six weeks ago, when the Premier League first met with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Britain was in the midst of a full lockdown at that point and attitudes have changed a lot since. The Premier League feared not being able to restart the 2019-20 season in any fashion, which could have led to it being declared null and void.
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This explains why there was a willingness to come up with solutions that could oppose any suggestion that the season was finished. This was why England’s base at St George’s Park near Derby was put forward as a potential neutral venue, along with a host of arenas in the West Midlands to reduce travel and the risk of coronavirus transmission.
Having convinced the DCMS that football had an immediate future, it was established by the game’s broadcasters that St George’s Park was not a suitable site and this led to other radical solutions, such as the idea that every club should play each of their games on neutral territory.
This was when the police became involved. It remained a period where the stricter lockdown was in force and the police immediately outlined their concerns about what might happen if football returned. Aside from health risks, the Premier League was also told of reservations relating to public disorder.
As it became clearer restrictions would be lifted at the start of this month, the Premier League placed more responsibility on its clubs. It was up to them to establish safety certificates, with the Premier League reminding them of the consequences of failed fixtures, which include fines and docked points. Those clubs unable to gain a certificate were reassured by the Premier League that it would find them a neutral venue.
Roberts decided to act, writing to all of the relevant police forces about his concerns. Each force responded in different ways, the most emphatic of which was the Metropolitan Police — an organisation that serves five Premier League clubs and seven in the Football League. The Met assured the Premier League that it possesses the resources to police any football match. This explains why no London fixtures were named on the high-risk list last week.
There have since been a number of suggestions about why Manchester City and Newcastle were placed on the list released by Roberts, along with Manchester United and Sheffield United.
A spokesperson on behalf of South Yorkshire Police would not confirm or deny suggestions that Newcastle’s trip to the Etihad represented a risk because of supposed intelligence around a proposed protest against the two clubs’ respective regimes in Abu Dhabi and, if the mooted takeover goes through, Saudi Arabia. Newcastle’s home game against Liverpool was also reported as being at risk due to the possibility of fans celebrating the end of the Mike Ashley era. It is also believed that judgments around Sheffield United’s trip to Old Trafford were partly based on the number of arrests made in the same fixture 13 years ago.
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For the time being, it feels as though the whole of football is trying to get up to speed with events going on around them. Peter Houghton, the director of operations at the Football Safety Officers Association says consultation with members over the last few months has been poor but this is partly because a lot of them (especially in the EFL) were furloughed and didn’t have access to work emails while football’s authorities attempted to launch Project Restart.
This, Houghton says, has left the organisation feeling like they are in a “relay race where nobody wants to pick up the baton — and to make matters worse, our members are on the last leg and we’re up against Usain Bolt”.
(Photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)