Leicester v Crystal Palace could be postponed, admits Premier League CEO Richard Masters

Leicester’s game against Crystal Palace at the weekend could be postponed, according to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters. 

A regional flare-up of coronavirus cases means Leicester will not emerge from parts of lockdown as swiftly as the rest of England – and it has been announced that stricter measures will be reinstated in the process.

As pubs, restaurants and cafes get ready to reopen across the country from Saturday, residents in Leicester have been told to stay at home, with schools and shops to shut this week. This is compared to other parts of the country, where this week will see lockdown loosened even further.

Leicester’s game against Crystal Palace could be postponed, according to Richard Masters

The English top flight has played 27 of the 92 fixtures that remained when the season was suspended but Leicester City are now unclear whether they can play Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace at their King Power Stadium. 

The ground is in the Leicester local authority which has seen cases rise by five per cent week-on-week.

Masters is confident they will be able to hold the fixtures – whether at a neutral venue or postponed until a later date – but did admit that restarting the season was not as big of an issue as getting through the rest of the games.

He told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee on Tuesday morning: ‘We’ve had a long discussion with authorities about neutral venues. 

Health secretary Matt Hancock has also warned local residents in Leicester to stay at home

‘If what happens in Leicester does impact the club’s ability to host games, either Crystal Palace or later, we have the ability to host those games elsewhere or postpone them until it is safe to do so. 

‘On next season, we have broken the boundary of playing football matches behind closed doors when the whole country is effected by COVID. 

‘That has been the hardest part. Next season needs to happen as well.’

Pressed on what impact the extended lockdown could have on Leicester, he added: ‘I’m yet to understand what impact the partial lockdown will have on the club. It demonstrates the fragile project we have on here. 

Masters said they could host games at neutral venues or postpone them until later 

‘Restarting is one thing. Finishing the season is the real prize.’

Masters went on to admit there were no guarantees that the 2019-20 campaign would be concluded if the virus develops in an unexpected manner.  

‘There is always that possibility, yes,’ he added. ‘We are dependent on the course of the virus and government’s decisions around that. 

‘We are cautiously optimistic and what has happened in Leicester overnight is something we are responding to. 

It is unclear whether Leicester will be able to play their next game at the King Power Stadium

‘We have been adapting for a while to neutral venues. We are ready to adapt to what happened in Leicester. 

‘If that happened in multiple areas, there is that risk that we might not be able to complete the season. 

‘We have to get to the end of the season and the end of July, look to 2020-21 and get fans back into the stadium and hopefully help the economy recover. 

‘But that is all dependent on the course of the virus.’  

A spike in infections in Leicester means the city has three times more cases than the city with the next highest total.

A spike in COVID-19 cases mean all non-essential shops must close as well as local schools

To arrest its spread, from Tuesday all non-essential shops will have to shut while schools will close their doors to most pupils from Thursday.

Schools will stay open for vulnerable youngsters and children of critical workers as they did before and people will be able to travel for childcare.

All but essential travel to, from and within the city is being discouraged, while residents are being told to stay at home unless absolutely necessary.

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers is still hopeful the game will be played on home turf. 

‘Nothing has changed in terms of how we have been working thus far throughout this situation,’ said Rodgers.

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers believes the club’s stadium remains a very safe environment

‘I have always said we will react accordingly. We have to have agility in this period. I think in this moment in time we are in the safest place we can be in terms of our work, the stadium also. 

‘It is a very safe environment for the games to be in. We will just keep working until we are told otherwise.’ 

Rodgers was also asked if he feared his side would be at a disadvantage if they are forced to play at a neutral ground. ‘It is something I am not really thinking of. It is all hypothetical at the moment. We will just continue with our work.’ 

Prior to next weekend’s clash, Leicester travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Wednesday on the back of a 1-0 defeat by Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.