In a bitter blow for Premier League players, their hospitality boxes and player lounges will not be able to open for the 2021/22 season, because of the ongoing issues with the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who say the measures are being taken to stop games from being postponed as had happened on multiple occasions last season, causing a fixture pile-up.
By keeping the areas closed, it should help to reduce the spread of the disease, even though this will be hugely disappointing for many players who enjoy having their nearest and dearest watching on.
The first chance there will be for any change to the current ruling will come in October, when there will be a full government review.
Until then, as the Daily Mail note that the majority of lounges in the top-flight are in the ‘red zone,’ and this means that those areas will have to remain socially distanced.
With stadiums back to full capacity, it’s hoped that everything changes and is more or less back to normal come the October review.