Brighton not in favour of playing Premier League matches at neutral venues
May 03, 2020
London [UK], May 3 : Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has opposed the idea of playing Premier League's remaining matches at neutral venues.
Premier League has been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. All the clubs met on Friday to discuss the future course of action, and after the meeting, everyone agreed on completing the rest of the season.
There have been reports that Premier League may look to finish the season in a limited number of neutral venues to ensure social distancing policies.
However, Barber has said that such policies may hamper the spirit and integrity of the competition.
"Clearly, we must all be prepared to accept some compromises, and we fully appreciate why playing behind closed doors is very likely to be a necessary compromise to play our remaining games while continuing to fully support the government's efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus," Brighton's official website quoted Barber as saying.
"But at this critical point in the season playing matches in neutral venues has, in our view, the potential to have a material effect on the integrity of the competition," he added.
Before the suspension of the Premier League, Brighton was placed at the 15th place in the standings.
All sporting action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The domestic football competitions for the 2019-20 season have already been cancelled in France and Netherlands.