The pandemic will make it 'very difficult' for Premier League matches to be staged with full crowds for at least another year and capacities face being capped at 25% when stadiums eventually re-open, a leading government adviser has said.
In his first interview as chair of the British government committee on the return of elite sports, James Calder cautioned against a hasty, widescale re-opening and return to normality as the coronavirus threat persists without a vaccine.
Calder, a surgeon renowned for operating on sports stars, played an integral role in helping the Premier League return in June after a 100-day shutdown, with supporters excluded from stadiums and twice weekly coronavirus testing on players and coaches.