Arsenal matches could be moved outside London when football returns, depending on the spread of Covid-19, according to reports.
The Telegraph write that London’s relatively high incidence of coronavirus cases is leading to suggestions matches could be played away from the city when football returns.
Talks between the PL, FA and EFL included the possibility of taking games to neutral venues elsewhere. This would apply to all the London clubs, as well as the EFL play-offs and FA Cup final.
To get this straight, there’s a possibility Arsenal might end up playing matches behind closed doors in a stadium that isn’t theirs after potentially losing players to self-isolation or contracts expiring in June. On current proposals, all of that is possible.
I don’t understand how this is a fairer solution than just voiding the season completely. At the very least, waiting to restart football until it’s possible to play matches normally in front of fans at their usual stadiums.
If a club like West Ham end up going down because of the ridiculous circumstances they play out the season in, that could alter their future entirely. Same with Arsenal missing out on a European qualification spot, and so on.
The only reason to play out the season this summer is to ensure a fair end to the campaign. If you’re having to take all these other lopsided measures to make the games happen, you’ve already failed in that objective.