What the Government has said about the possibility of Championship matches being played behind closed doors due to coronavirus

Growing concerns over the global outbreak of coronavirus have led to question marks over whether football matches in the UK should be played behind closed doors.
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Leagues across Europe have taken the decision to not allow admission to matches, with games in Italy and France played in front of empty terraces.

The country is in the first phase of the Government’s response to the issue, which claimed its second UK victim earlier this week. Latest figures suggest that some 23,000 people have been tested for the illness, with 273 of those testing positive.

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A third UK-based person has also died from Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus.

It has led to debate over whether events with large crowds – including Championship fixtures – should be postponed or played with no crowds in a bid to keep maintain a level of control of the outbreak.

Sheffield Wednesday face three matches in a week as they host Nottingham Forest on Saturday before heading to Bristol City three days later and West Brom the following weekend.

But the Government’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden denied that the banning of crowds at sporting events is under consideration.

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“At this stage we’re not in the territory of cancelling or postponing events,” he said.

Fans wear a disposable face mask prior to the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City at Hillsborough.Fans wear a disposable face mask prior to the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City at Hillsborough.
Fans wear a disposable face mask prior to the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City at Hillsborough.

“I was at Twickenham [for England v Wales] with the Prime Minister [on Saturday]. There was a huge crowd of people there.

“There is no reason why people should not be going to those events. It is very premature to be talking about things like that.

“That is why I asked the chief medical officer to brief the sporting bodies last week and that is why we will be driven by the advice of the chief medical officer as we continue.

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“I do want to emphasise in relation to sporting events, any talk of cancellation is very premature indeed. At the moment there is no evidence to suggest we should be doing that and we don’t have any plans to.”

Globally, authorities have confirmed more than 100,000 cases of the coronavirus and more than 3,000 deaths.

The vast majority of cases - more than 80,000 - are in China, where the virus originated in December.