Richard Masters hopes fans can return to the stadiums

Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, said he has not given up hope that fans will return to stadiums before the end of this season. During the Financial Times Masters Business of Football summit, he said he didn’t want to get used to watching matches only on TV.

The last time fans were able to enter sports stadiums was in December 2020, but this week it was reported that the Football Association and the English Football League are in talks with the government about the return of fans to the English and Arab League Cup final. The FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, in April and May respectively.

“We’re used to watching live football on TV without fans in stadiums, and I don’t want to get used to it any longer. I hope we see an end to that and a return of the fans,” Masters said.

The Prime Minister of England, Boris Johnson, will lay out a roadmap for how the United Kingdom can exit its current national blockade next Monday (22). Richard said of the government announcement: “I’m confident (the fans will be back next season). No one can be sure why this season. covid-19 pandemic It may surprise us as it happened at Christmas – when the number of cases rose in the UK – but we haven’t given up hope of seeing some people in stadiums this season, but that will depend on what happens, the direction of government figures and recommendations etc.”