By Gabriel Cochetron
The Premier League has announced that it will extend its policy of showing all matches live on UK Open television until fans return to the stadium. According to experts, the measure reflects the association’s social commitment and organization.
This was confirmed on the day Brighton’s chief executive Paul Barber said he hoped a very small number of fans could return this season, but that the club was “preparing for the worst and they would not return.” “.
For lawyer Luis Costa, who works in London and is a columnist at Law for the Field, “everyone here is waiting for the so-called” roadmap “, which the British Prime Minister says is about to take place next weekend It is possible to present. Lockdown Present. Meanwhile, with all the safety and health protocols that are presented to athletes, nothing is more that they can show their talent to fans, even if only on TV ”.
An agreement on the broadcast of all matches on television was scheduled to expire later this month, but the Premier League decided to show and change the scenario.
“This is a strategy, surrounded by legal protection. Of course, to take this path, the league analyzed the contract and spoke to the partners. And this was only possible because it was managed in a professional manner Is cash and planning, ”says Andrei Kampf, sports law expert, journalist and author of this blog.
“All games of the 2020/21 season will be available for fans to watch live in the UK. The agreement will be extended until government guidance allows fans to return to the stadium. All games will go through existing broadcasting partners Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video and BBC, announced the Premier League on Wednesday (17).
The last time fans were allowed to enter England’s stadium was in December. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce new measures to counter the Kovid-19 epidemic on Monday (22), with hopes of ending restrictive measures in the next few days.
“There are a lot of issues. There will be an issue of trust; even when people have already received the vaccine, not everyone will choose to receive it, and a large number of fans are returning. And going from front to back. ” Stadium. Financially, too. Many people lost their jobs, so it would have some impact on ticket sales and match days, ”said Nye.
For sports marketing expert, Amir Somogi, the decision “also brings the social role of football, as 13 million people in PL alone are no longer in sports. There is still more impact for advertisers and sponsors”.
According to the British press, the Football Association and the EFL are in constant dialogue with the government on the possible return of fans to the final of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at Wembley on 25 April and 15 May respectively.
The announcement was League official website.
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