The Premier League is all set to restart on June 17 with ‘Manchester City v Arsenal’ and ‘Aston Villa v Sheffield United’, subject to government approval.
The weekend of June 19-21, would see a full round of fixture to be played. There are 92 matches to be completed for the current season, and the first to take place will be those the four teams involved.
Safety guidelines are yet to be published by the government, and decisions will remain subject to the continuing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
All Matches are on TV
As the matches would be played behind the closed doors, they will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport or Amazon Prime for the viewers in the United Kingdom.
BBC Sport will show four live matches for the first time since the Premier League’s started in 1992. Sky Sports will air 64 games live and would make 25 games available free to air.
Kick-off times during the week (BST):
- Monday, Friday: 8:00pm
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 6:00pm and 8:00pm
- Saturday: 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:30pm and 8:00pm
- Sunday: 12:00 noon, 2:00pm, 4:30om and 7:00pm
Fixtures and TV Contract
BBC Sport understands from the fixture plan that Premier league to be ended by Saturday, July 25. It is also understood that completing the season would require six weekends and three-midweek rounds.
If the season progresses as planned, the £340m rebate to TV companies can be planned over a period of time. However, if the games are not played, the full sum will be due in July.
The Champion – Waiting
Liverpool are currently 25 points clear at the top of the table, while Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich City are fighting to avoid relegation at the bottom of the table. Liverpool are chasing their first Premier league title in three decades. They could be one game away to this if second-placed Manchester City lose to Arsenal.
The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home.
The resumption date would not be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed.
Richard Masters, Premier League chief executive
Meanwhile on Friday morning the Football Association will announce proposed dates for the FA Cup quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
For European competition, the last 16 second-leg matches in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League are set to be played between August 6 and 8. Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolves are all still in contention in knockout phase. UEFA will discuss the plans at an executive committee meeting in June before a decision is made.
Football’s Back – Reactions
It’s coming back, it’s coming back, it’s coming, football’s coming back!
Gary Lineker, Match of the Day presenter
WE. GO. AGAIN. We’ll miss having you with us at the stadiums, but we’ll do everything we can to make you proud.
Georginio Wijnaldum, Liverpool midfielder
Positive to see further steps on the return of football today. I’ve been pushing for as many games as possible to be free to view and for the return of the top league to support the whole football family.
Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
