West Midlands Police Chief: More work to do before football can kick off again
There is still "quite a lot of work to do" before the Premier League season can re-start, according to the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, as hopes of Wolves and Aston Villa playing games at their home grounds were dealt a blow.
Chief Constable Dave Thompson said it was not his intention to be a "killjoy" for football fans but warned there was "a lot of things to overcome" before starting again.
He suggested potential key relegation and promotion clashes for Villa and Albion, a league below in the Championship, could result in fans congregating outside grounds where games are being played behind closed doors.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street also said it was difficult to see games being played at Molineux and Villa Park.
He said he believed when grounds were eventually opened up to fans, they would have to be done so with reduced capacity.
Premier League clubs will ultimately decide on how to re-start the season but the views of police chiefs will be key.
The Government has given the green light for games to be played from June.
Mr Thompson said: "People are at home, they would like to see the sport, we understand all that.
"It is a complex issue, we can't do things which are going to cause health issues. It's not just playing games behind closed doors, it's the fact people want to congregate.
"We may have some very important fixtures that take place, affecting either relegations or promotions in this region.
"My view is there are quite a lot of things to overcome. There's not just safety issues with players and staff, coming together with the testing regime.
"I think there's quite a lot to do before we can say we'll be safe from a public health perspective.
"From a broader public safety perspective we would need to understand the arrangements in some detail.
"Neutral grounds has become more of an issue, now people can travel more freely so I look forward to seeing some concrete proposals. Feels to me there is still quite a lot of work to do before we can say we're in a position to begin the season again."
Mr Street said he believed the vast majority of football fans would respect orders to stay away from grounds.
But he said: "I would like to see both Villa and Wolves being able to play with their home advantage, even behind closed doors. But I have to say, just like the Chief Constable, we seem to be a very long way from being able to navigate that.
"Personally I think what we are much more likely to see is neutral ground solution first then moving to a closed-doors situation, probably from the beginning of the new season and then even when we do begin to open the stadiums it will probably be not to full capacity so a scaled-up arrangement. A lot of people with expertise need to do a lot of planning yet I'm afraid."
It comes as Walsall's League Two season is over as clubs unanimously agreed to call an end to the campaign.
