The new strain of coronavirus has created havoc in the United Kingdom. After introducing tier 4 in grading the potential danger of new strain in cities during December, the United Kingdom government has decided to call a nationwide lockdown on January 4. Unlike the previous lockdown, Premier League will not be suspended despite the rise in cases amongst players.
As per the new guidelines issued by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday, Elite Sports will continue to function despite the strict lockdown across the country. Premier League will have to hold all games behind closed doors during the lockdown.
The new strain of coronavirus has been a massive setback for Premier League clubs as the UK government had given permission at the start of December to bring fans back in the stadium. The matchday revenue continues to take a dip, but PL clubs do need games to continue in order to get the broadcast revenue.
Premier League had to postpone numerous games last week as there was a covid outbreak at Manchester City and Fulham. Sheffield United also had numerous players tested positive for covid, so they had to play with a weakened bench. Premier League insisted that they have no plans to have a break after these outbreaks at various clubs.
At the moment, PL clubs will need to play games, or else there will be scheduling nightmares for the league. Considering the UK is only suffering the most from the new strain, other leagues will finish in time for Euros 2021, while PL may need another month to finish the season if there is a big break now. Moreover, PL clubs have to pay the rebate to broadcasters after games were suspended last year in March. Another suspension would further increase the rebate value. Johnson’s announcement on Monday is bad news for various industries, but the green signal to continue elite sports is a big boost for Premier League.