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Former EPL midfielder Chris Kamara expressed his hope over witnessing football with fans inside the stadium once the coronavirus outbreak subsides. According to the EPL pundit, the English football faithful may be allowed to fill in the stadiums' atmosphere from September onward.
After about three months of absence, the highly awaited EPL is slated to return later today, with Aston Villa welcoming Sheffield United.
There's a busy fixture period to follow until the end of the season, not just promising exhilarating football to the fans but also serving as a litmus test to the players' fitness.
Kamara, ahead of his return to work for Sky Sports, reflected on the adaptability everyone must develop to play football without the fans. He mentioned that EPL is defined by its fans.
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"It's not the same without fans," says EPL pundit Kamara
Chris Kamara, now an EPL presenter and analyst at Sky Sports, was a tough-tackling midfielder back in his playing days for Leeds, Brentford and Swindon Town. He featured in a whopping 778 matches for various EPL clubs, also netting 86 goals in the process. As a manager, he took charge of Bradford and Stoke City during the late 1990s.
He is now raring to cover the much-awaited EPL despite stringent measures made by the government keeping in mind the spread of coronavirus.
Not more than 300 individuals including players, staff, cameramen among other representatives are allowed to be present at a stadium on an EPL match day. There is also a red zone, amber zone and green zone within the stadium's premises, where in protocols and measures have to be strictly followed.
Further, it is the responsibility of the host EPL club to disinfect every single part of the venue, from the goal posts to the footballs. Besides, a few dos and dont's on the pitch comprise of no to spitting or nose-clearing, as well as maintaining distance during corners and goal celebrations - an aspect every fan will miss hereafter.
Shedding light on his view of EPL football without fans, he said:
"It is not the same without supporters, that is one thing for sure. It is not the same but people are going to have to get used to it. When a goal goes into the back of the net and there's not that sudden hooray and that sound of despair for the team that has conceded, that is what makes English football."
He boastfully continued:
"We [the EPL] are the envy of every other single nation because of the fans that got to our football matches, whether it be on a Sunday morning, Non-League, League One, League Two or the Premier League."
Nevertheless, every fan, manager and player is excited at the prospect of the returning EPL, regardless of the empty stadium factor. It'll be a different experience for all, but the resumption itself speaks volumes of the progress the world has made.
Former EPL man Kamara believes including fans in the stadiums after a few months is a legitimate possibility. He added:
"That is a vital factor which hopefully will be back in September, I am told, fingers crossed it will be back. In the meantime we have got football back so let's enjoy it."
Aston Villa take on the Blades, after which the EPL returns with a blockbuster clash between Manchester City and Arsenal.
