The police chief tasked with managing football games has slammed those who have argued against the use of neutral venues for Premier League fixtures.
West Ham's Karren Brady, Brighton's Paul Barber and Aston Villa's Christian Purslow have all criticised the plan to use neutral stadiums in order to complete the outstanding 2019/20 fixtures.However they have in turn been criticised by policeman Mark Roberts who suggested that their worries were of little concern given the wider picture, with more than 30,000 having already died as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
A strong message from Mark Roberts, the police chief responsible for football in England, to Premier League clubs opposed to finishing the season at neutral venues:
— Steve Scott (@stevescott_itv) May 7, 2020
"Get a grip...." pic.twitter.com/Qk6exN18Ex
"[People are saying] the integrity of the game may be somehow compromised if some teams have to play at a neutral venue – if you played someone at home earlier in the season with a crowd and now they’re being asked to play in a neutral venue with no crow," Roberts, formerly of Greater Manchester Police, told ITV.
"They stress the importance of picking up trophies, fine. These are all in a football sense, really important. But in a broader context, where the country has seen 30,000 and rising deaths, then really, some of the people making these comments need to get a grip.
"We’ve all got a responsibility. Yes to make progress for the benefit of the country, but equally to do it in a way that minimises the risk that anything we do, adds to that death toll."
Yet since his comments were publised, Roberts has been widely criticised himself. "Why not just not finish it then if it’s not safe?" asked twitter user Tom Cowley. " It’s the Premier League that needs to get a grip, not the clubs."
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