The Times - UK (2020-07-31)

the times | Friday July 31 2020 2GM 65

Sport

Football is not football without the fans.

The Premier League won’t be fully back

until we have fans supporting their

teams in person in our grounds — and

I would like to reassure everyone that

we are doing everything we can to find

a safe way to do that.

There was a time in March when

people inside and outside the game

thought it would be impossible to finish

the season safely — but one of the

motivations for Project Restart was

knowing there were millions of fans

who wanted football in their lives.

That showed what is possible when

we all work together. The success in

completing the season was only achiev-

able because of a monumental team

effort by clubs, players, managers, the

and their cities, towns and communi-

ties. We are prepared to help lead foot-

ball through trials of what is possible,

investing in technology and best-

practice steps to reduce risk and make

the return of fans to grounds viable.

Risk management is vital to making

this happen. The season may have fin-

ished but our work doesn’t stop in this

important area. We have a club work-

ing group examining practical solu-

tions, working with the Sports Grounds

Safety Authority and medical experts,

and looking at where we can be innova-

Clinical passports could pave way for the return of supporters

FA, EFL, PFA and LMA as well as the

sustained support of fans, government,

safety authorities and medical experts.

Working together — and conducting

more than 22,000 coronavirus tests

among players and staff — we demon-

strated that it is possible to move for-

ward as a group without going back-

wards in terms of public health.

And it is with this mindset that we

face up to the next challenge: finding a

responsible way to get the fans back in-

to our grounds. We are very aware that

once again there are people who think

this is too difficult a task. But we know

that fans want to return to grounds at

all levels of the game as soon as it is

possible, and at full capacities once it is

safe. They want going to matches to be

part of their routine again, as we learn

to live safely with the virus. And we

believe that their desire will help to

drive us all to greater progress.

The importance of fans is not only

related to the match-day experience

and team performance. Without them,

there is also a significant financial im-

pact on clubs at all levels of the game,

tive. We are also undertaking wide-

ranging fan consultation.

Test and Trace will provide crucial

support for getting fans back into the

stands. We will urge supporters to be

responsible and engage with this

programme, helping to make football

environments as safe as possible.

We are considering all areas of a

match day, from ticketing solutions,

stadium seating allocation configura-

tion and timed entries, to temperature

checks and an in-seat food and drink

service for fans. We will work with local

authorities and clubs to seek solutions

to local transport challenges such as

introducing additional car parking and

secure bicycle spaces and implement-

ing park-and-walk schemes.

We are also willing to see how we can

support the development of “clinical

passports” — an app-based system that

looks at all symptoms and other Covid-

19 contributing factors — as well as

other measures.

There is still a lot to be done, and it

will not happen overnight. We must test

and prove what is possible, in tandem

with the authorities, within a frame-

work that is flexible and can adapt to

fast-moving circumstances and devel-

oping expertise.

The restart of the season reminded

us of the country’s love of the game. I

am proud of how our clubs and players

stepped up, on and off the pitch, to help

the most vulnerable in society. Football

matters, at every level, in every

community. It is this that drives our

continued efforts. The Premier League

returns to action on September 12. This

pre-season is unlike any other. Yes, the

transfers and rumours will still happen,

but behind the scenes the game is work-

ing tirelessly to innovate and find a way

forward that allows for the return of

match-going fans and provide a boost

to the whole game’s economic viability

in these challenging times.

Getting fans back in our grounds, in a

responsible manner, is a big part of that.

The Premier League is committed to

making it happen and I can’t wait to be

back sitting in a ground, listening to the

fans driving on their players and seeing

the impact they have on their team.

Richard

Masters

Villa fans watch their side’s first game

back on a laptop outside Villa Park

Premier League

chief executive

backed by the fund overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, bottom

Fifa boss Infantino

facing legal action

Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter

Fifa’s tattered reputation has been dealt

another blow after criminal

proceedings were opened against its

president, Gianni Infantino, by a Swiss

special prosecutor.

The proceedings centre on secret

meetings that Infantino had with

Switzerland’s discredited attorney

general Michael Lauber, who last week

offered his resignation.

Infantino promised a new era for Fifa

after years of corruption scandals when

he was elected to succeed Sepp Blatter

in 2016, but this development will be a

huge embarrassment to the

Swiss-Italian lawyer.

Infantino met Lauber twice in 2016,

soon after his election, and again in

June 2017, while the attorney general

controlled a sprawling investigation

into corruption linked to Fifa and

football officials worldwide.

A special prosecutor has

concluded that “there are

indications of criminal

conduct” in relation to

the meetings.

Lauber offered to

resign last week when a

federal court upheld

allegations that he lied

about the meeting with

Infantino. The pair told

investigators that they

could not recall what was said

in the discussions — but if there

are suspicions that Infantino was

attempting in any way to influence the

Fifa corruption probe then that could

be a breach of Swiss law.

“On the basis of general life

experience, such a case of collective

amnesia is an aberration,” the federal

court ruling said last week.

Infantino, 50, has insisted that he was

trying to help with the investigation.

He said yesterday: “As president of

Fifa, it has been my aim from day one,

and it remains my aim, to assist the

authorities with investigating past

wrongdoings at Fifa. Fifa officials have

met with prosecutors in other

jurisdictions across the world for

exactly these purposes.”

After the meetings were revealed by

emails from the Football Leaks cache,

the Swiss government appointed

Stefan Keller as a special prosecutor to

investigate.

A statement from the federal

prosecutors’ office said that Keller had

uncovered “elements that make up

reprehensible behaviour”.

Keller opened criminal

proceedings against

Infantino, as well as Val-

ais prosecutor Rinaldo

Arnold, and has sought

authorisation to open a

legal case against

Lauber, too, but that

needs permission from

the Swiss parliament.

Keller found possible

infractions that included

abuse of public office, breach of

official secrecy, “assisting offenders”

and “incitement to these acts”, adding

other criminal acts and proceedings

could also be considered.

Suspects in such cases benefit from a

presumption of innocence in Switzer-

land until legal proceedings are com-

pleted and no charges have been filed.

Blatter, 84, is also still the subject of

criminal proceedings launched in 2015

after the arrests of dozens of football of-

ficials which have led to some of the

most important Fifa officials during the

Blatter era — from 1998 to 2015 —

being indicted by the US justice depart-

ment. Michel Platini, who was the fa-

vourite to succeed Blatter and then

served as Uefa president, was also sus-

pended, which ended his chances of

leading Fifa and his former lieutenant

Infantino stepped into the void.

r has

are

al

d

hey

s said

ut if there

nfantino was

reprehen

Kell

proc

Inf

ai

A

a

le

La

ne

the

Kel

iiiinfractio

abuse of pu

officialsecrecy

Infantino hands over the Club World

Cup to Liverpool in December

director. The PIF had agreed to become

a director.”

She said the consortium had had no

option but to put out a joint statement.

“Do we give up now? I don’t know, there

may be a way forward,” Staveley said.

“I’m trying to deal with the facts and we

had to make a decision today.”

Ashley stands to make up to £17 mil-

lion from the negotiations. A

deposit was part of the agreement, with

the money due to Ashley in the event of

the deal not being completed.

According to those acting for the

Saudis, the Premier League’s failure to

offer a timeline on a decision was a big

factor in the choice to withdraw. A

source close to the deal claimed the

consortium was given assurances that

the process would not take too long.

The buyers were also led to believe,

said the source, that there was nothing

in the Premier League rules that

would prove insurmountable in the

purchase of the club and that at no

point had they been made aware of an

issue that would prevent the bid from

succeeding.They believe significant

pressure applied by beIN Sports caused

the delays and led to further questions.

Sources also claim that there was a

late effort by Ashley to renegotiate

amid reports of a rival offer of

£350 million from an American con-

sortium led by the businessman Henry

Mauriss. Staveley dismissed those re-

ports last night, telling The Athletic:

“There aren’t other bids. It’s rubbish.”

Other senior figures in football had

made it known to the Premier League

that they disapproved of Saudi Arabia

taking control of the club given the

country’s human rights record, and the

bid was also opposed by Amnesty

International, who claimed it was

blatant “sportswashing” by the Saudis

to improve the state’s reputation.

A statement from the consortium

said: “Unfortunately, the prolonged

process under the current circumstan-

ces coupled with global uncertainty has

rendered the investment no longer

commercially viable.”

It is understood it was the intention

of the Saudis to inject £250 million

into Newcastle over five years, on top of

a large investment in the community.

Infantino’s track record

Age 50

Background Born in Switzerland to

Italian parents. He is fluent in

French, Italian, Spanish, English and

German. Qualified as a lawyer.

Career Joined Uefa in 2000 and

became legal director in 2004.

Appointed general secretary in

2009 under Michel Platini.

Became Fifa president in 2016 after

Sepp Blatter was impeached.

SERENA TAYLOR/NEWCASTLE UNITED/GETTY IMAGES

yet another crisis

continued from back

Staveley fury over collapse of deal