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EPL Gets Government Approval To Restart In June

The British government has "given the Premier League the green light to restart the season" as early as June 1. Under the plan to re-open the country, pro sports will be "permitted to be broadcast from behind closed doors" at neutral venues (LONDON INDEPENDENT, 5/11). A date of May 18 has been "pencilled in for a return to training, while June 8 and June 12 have previously been discussed as possible restart dates" (SKY SPORTS, 5/11). Restrictions "may be changed for different regions of the country," which could "affect which stadia are chosen as one of the eight to 10 ‘neutral’ venues" the EPL has been told by authorities to "use to play out the remaining 92 games of the season" (LONDON TELEGRAPH, 5/11).

During a video meeting on Monday, more than half of the 20 EPL clubs "expressed opposition to the neutral-grounds plan" and asked league execs to "petition the government to be permitted to play the rest of the season with home and away games." The proposal was meant to "deter fans turning up outside stadiums in large numbers, and to use more modern stadiums where the design makes social distancing and cleaning easier." However, officials "will keep an open mind," with a final vote of Project Restart by the clubs "expected next Monday" (LONDON TIMES, 5/11).

Meanwhile, EPL clubs are "set to lose between" £300M ($370M) and £350M ($432M) in broadcast revenues "even if they find a way to finish the season." The situation  discussed at today's meeting has led to at least one club "questioning why the efforts to complete the season ought to continue." One of the "incentives for the clubs to finish was to avoid the potential loss" of £762M ($940M) in broadcast money. The hope is for this season's remaining games to be "shown live by Sky, BT Sports and Amazon, although this could prove difficult." It is "possible that a small number of them could be carried by free-to-air YouTube channels" (London GUARDIAN, 5/11). 

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