Could Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid be played behind closed doors?
Will the Anfield side follow in the footsteps of other huge European matches being played to no fans in empty stadiums in order to combat COVID-19?
The coronavirus outbreak in Europe has almost reached peak pandemonium, with the football calendar being hit hard as authorities work to contain COVID-19 and practise measures of “social distancing”.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Borussia Dortmund, one of the most high-profile Champions League games, is to be played to empty stadiums in the battle against coronavirus.
But with Liverpool set to host Atletico Madrid in the second of their Champions League last 16 tie, will they follow in the footsteps of other authorities and also play the fixture to no fans?
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Will Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid be played behind closed doors?
There are currently no plans to have Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid played behind closed doors.
Football in the UK is yet to take any kind of major precedent in the fight against the spread of coronavirus, and there have been no matches on UK soil that have been postponed or cancelled in the wake of COVID-19.
There were 319 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of Monday – a rise from the previous number of 46 cases – though ministers stated that “social distancing” measures will not yet be implemented.
While other high-profile Champions League fixtures such as PSG vs Dortmund and Bayern vs Chelsea are to be played behind closed doors to no fans, Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid at Anfield is set to carry on as usual with supporters in the stands.
Liverpool head into the fixture 1-0 down from the first leg and will need to mount another important European comeback at Anfield in order to secure a spot in the Champions League last 16.
Saul Niguez scored against the Reds in the opening minutes of the tie at the Wanda Metropolitano, and Liverpool will need to call on the famed support of Anfield on Wednesday night to inspire the team to victory.
Since the virus is transmitted through the air via droplets caused by coughs and sneezes, “social distancing” is what other football bodies across Europe are taking to combat further spread of coronavirus. Football grounds, which are attended by tens of thousands of people on a given matchday, would make for a hotbed of viral spreading.
Italy and France have already implemented social distancing to their fixtures, with Serie A matches being suspended indefinitely and all Ligue 1 fixtures to be played behind closed doors until April 15.
La Liga’s next two rounds of fixtures will be played to empty stadiums, and a host of Europa League matches such as LASK vs Man Utd will be played to no supporters.
But the UK currently have no plans to have games played behind closed doors or postponed, with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden stating that British sporting events are to continue as normal.
“At this stage, we’re not in the territory of cancelling or postponing events,” Dowden told BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday.
“I was at Twickenham [for England vs Wales] with the Prime Minister [on Saturday],” he said. “There was a huge crowd of people there. There is no reason why people should not be going to those events. It is very premature to be talking about things like that.”
The Premier League did advise the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and sport governing bodies “to step up its contingency planning”, which led to pre-match handshakes officially being banned in the top flight.
Premier League executive director Bill Bush did not comment on the possibility of future matches being played behind closed doors, telling reporters: “I am not going to comment on things that are speculative.”
Of course, this could all change in the coming weeks should the COVID-19 outbreak continue to worsen within the UK.
It would be difficult to imagine a scenario in which football games in England remained unaffected by COVID-19 after the likes of Spain, France, Italy and Germany have had to take extreme measures to combat the viral spread.
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