September 9 – All 28 English Premier League fixtures that take place in September will be televised live following pressure from the government and fans groups to maintain last season’s arrangement of wall-to-wall games when the campaign resumed behind closed doors.
The league had previously insisted it would return to showing only a selection of games during the 2020-21 season, albeit with an increased total of 220 up from 200 the year before.
Last month, fans were allowed into a Premier League stadium for the first time in almost six months, as 2,500 watched a friendly between Brighton and Chelsea.
But with fans still unable to return and public health authorities yet to give the all-clear to a partial return from October 1, the Premier League has backed down and also says it will consider further “appropriate arrangements” should the ban on fans not be lifted. The ban looks increasingly unlikely to be lifted with government expected to formally announce today a restriction on social gatherings to no more than six people following a spike in the number of reported cases throughout the country.
Sky Sports and BT Sport had already selected 17 matches for live broadcast for the first three match rounds of the season. Of the remaining 11 matches, Sky Sports will broadcast an additional six, BT Sport a further three and BBC and Amazon Prime one each.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713933492labto1713933492ofdlr1713933492owedi1713933492sni@w1713933492ahsra1713933492w.wer1713933492dna1713933492