. World News – UK – Football fans return to the Premier League but the comeback has been labeled « political ».

Arsenal was the first Premier League club to host fans on Thursday evening since March when 2000 fans returned to the Emirates Stadium

Football fans returned to the Premier League for the first time in nine months on Thursday night.

At Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. 2000 fans took their socially distant seats in the stands for the Europa League duel with Rapid Vienna.

This is the first time since Liverpool’s loss to Atletico Madrid in March that Liverpool have had fans in a Premier League stadium.

According to the latest government guidelines, high profile and EFL clubs are allowed to welcome some fans back to their premises, depending on where they are located in the country’s tiered system.

There is currently no professional football club in the first division in which the capacity is limited to a maximum of 4. 000 is set. Half of the Premier League clubs are in the second division, in which the capacity does not exceed 2. 000, while the other half is in the third division, in which the spectators remain blocked.

The return of Arsenal fans to see Mikel Arteta’s squad in action came after Wednesday when the first spectator sporting events began to take place following the end of England’s second national suspension.

West Ham’s home game against Manchester United on Saturday night will be the first in the Premier League to have welcomed spectators since March. More will follow for the remainder of the weekend, including Tottenham v Arsenal on Sunday.

At a Premier League meeting on Thursday, high-profile clubs signed new protocols before fans return to the Premier League this weekend for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.

This includes followers who wear face covers in all areas of the stadium and who are considerate of their surroundings while singing and shouting.

Premier League clubs are also believed to be ready to offer their facilities to aid national coronavirus vaccination efforts.

Additionally, the Premier League face covering protocols go beyond what is mandated by the government.

Hopefully these steps and many other measures will move the Premier League clubs in the best possible place to convince the government and the Sports Technology and Innovation Group (STIG) task force that they are ready are involved in experiments with capacities greater than those permitted by the tier system.

The decision to allow backers to return, however, has been labeled as Forest Green’s « political » chairman, Dale Vince.

He says that as a football fan he is pleased that fans are allowed to return, but he can’t understand the reasons for the decision.

« I think we’ll see an increase after Christmas because the rules are being relaxed, » he told the press association.

« We could be banned in January and we could see fans getting banned again, that’s possible. « .

« We were in the first stage all summer, we had a pilot event in September, it went really well, days later the government said » no more pilots « . .

« After the ban, we came out in stage two and within a few days we were told we could have fans back.

« We have run out of fans now because the background conditions have improved, either the infection rate or the hospital admissions. (Because) that has risen, it’s near the March peak. « .

« What we have are fans who are back for political reasons, and I think Christmas is relaxing for political reasons. « . ”

Arsenal F. . C.. . , Mikel Arteta, Premier League, UEFA Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur F. . C.. . , SK Rapid Vienna, Emirates Stadium