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LONDON. — Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson says resuming the Premier League is a “non-starter”, and he fears a “farcical” situation with fans congregating outside Anfield — even if Liverpool clinch the title at a neutral venue.
The Premier League has told its clubs only “approved venues” will be used, raising the possibility of matches being played at neutral grounds.
Liverpool, chasing their first title for 30 years, lead the table by 25 points with nine games remaining, while the league hopes to restart on 8 June.
The league’s “Project Restart” envisages the season resuming behind closed doors because of social distancing measures in place to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Liverpool say they are “disappointed” with Anderson’s comments.
The national lead for football policing said on Wednesday that playing all remaining Premier League and EFL fixtures at their original venues would “present challenges” to the emergency services.
Deputy chief constable, Mark Roberts, said “options” need to be looked at.
Anderson, Liverpool’s first directly elected mayor, told BBC Sport: “Even if it was behind closed doors, there’d be many thousands of people who would turn up outside Anfield.’’ —-BBC Sport
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter