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Premier League clashes 'to be pushed back to allow home games with fans'

:Headline: Premier League clashes 'to be pushed back to allow home games with fans':
The 37th round will now be played on May 18 and 19.
Sports Mole

The penultimate round of Premier League matches will be pushed back so each team can play a home game in front of up to 10,000 fans, the PA news agency understands.

The 37th round will now be played on May 18 and 19, the day after the third step of the Government's coronavirus road map is scheduled to start.

From May 17 lockdown restrictions are set to ease further, with larger outdoor venues able to welcome 25 per cent of capacity or 10,000 people, whichever is smallest.

The Premier League season has largely took place behind closed doors (Adrian Dennis/PA)

Almost as soon as the road map was published on February 22, the league was understood to have concerns over the impact of only the final round of games on May 23 being played in front of fans and had been working towards rescheduling round 37.

The Premier League has informed clubs about the decision to switch, but it is not expected to confirm the plans until broadcast arrangements are fully in place.

The league's chief executive Richard Masters stated last month that he felt a return to full stadia for the start of the 2021-22 season in August was "an achievable goal".

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters hopes top-flight venues will be at full capacity when the new season starts in August (Mike Egerton/PA)

The Government hopes that sports fans will be able to return to venues in significant numbers from June 21, and its Event Research Programme (ERP) is using a series of events as pilots to test the safest and most effective ways to make that happen.

Supporters attending the Carabao Cup final – one of the ERP events – later this month will need proof of a negative lateral flow test in order to enter Wembley.

The English top flight was one of 10 signatories to a letter sent to political leaders last week endorsing the use of a Covid certification status system, whereby proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or antibody immunity must be provided to access a venue.

The league's executive director Bill Bush told BBC Radio Four's Today Programme: "The alternative (to certification) is not freedom.

"The alternative is social distancing, tiny crowds, major restrictions on people's movement and ability to eat, drink, travel. Away fans banned for example.

"So to end those restrictions of freedom, we believe that something like this is an acceptable burden to give fans the freedom to attend."

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
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