The United Kingdom Government & Premier League have worked together to allowed supporters into the stands of Brighton Stadium. It marks the 1st instance that fans have been permitted inside a professional football event since March 2020, with the slated match against Brighton FC & Chelsea FC. Their match resulted in a 1-1 draw & doesn’t count towards the 2020-21 Premier League Campaign, with this game being a pre-season friendly.
2,500 supporters were permitted entrance into the Brighton Stadium. Social distancing protocols were in effect, with fans seen spread out throughout the stadium. This decision wasn’t made for the purpose of entertainment but statistics. The UK Government is assessing the health of spectators by reviewing COVID-19 confirmed cases with those that purchased tickets for the Brighton & Chelsea match-up. An outbreak or high volumes of confirmed infections will result in the UK Government not permitting spectators for the 2020-21 Campaign. However, low infection rates to zero contractions will be considered a success for this government test.
The Brighton FC & Chelsea FC match was action-packed for spectators. Timo Werner from Chelsea acquired a goal in the 4th minute of the first half. Pascal Gross from Brighton FC tied the lead during a penalty at the 90th minute. These two teams won’t meet again until September 14th when the 2020-21 Premier League Campaign has begun.
The Risks
COVID Activists in the United Kingdom backlashed against the announcement that spectators would be permitted at the August 28th match. Criticism evoked that an outbreak could result in increased infections throughout the whole of Great Britain. Considering that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had reimplemented COVID-19 Protocols amid growing infections, it’s surprising to see that a plan opposite to the Governments stance was implemented.
Risks were applied towards the footballers, coaching staff, team personnel, and stadium workforce in this spectator-approved match. Chelsea FC wasn’t thrilled to learn that Brighton would head the government’s request. The majority of football clubs in the Premier League denied, citing concerns for their footballers & coaches’ safety. Multiple games in the 2019-20 Campaign were cancelled amid confirmed infections. Financial problems mean that Premier League Execs cannot risk the same circumstances for 2020-21.