Latest update on whether Portsmouth fans’ return to Fratton Park will be halted amid coronavirus spike

Pompey will today find out whether football at Fratton Park will be forced behind closed doors once more amid rumours the city is to be placed into Tier 3.
Pompey fans at the Peterborough game this monthPompey fans at the Peterborough game this month
Pompey fans at the Peterborough game this month

The government are set to confirm the latest review results over which how different areas will be categorised, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed back the announcement from yesterday.

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Such a shift, of course, would put paid to fans being present at Fratton Park, as has been the case for the past two home games.

Under the tier system, sports fans cannot attend sports events at stadiums in Tier 3.

Portsmouth has been operating in Tier 2 until the review allowing 2,000 fans to attend fixtures, as has been the case against Peterborough and Fleetwood this month for the first tine in nine months.

The city now has a higher infection rate than five of the London boroughs placed into Tier 3 yesterday, however.

Pompey fans at the Peterborough game this monthPompey fans at the Peterborough game this month
Pompey fans at the Peterborough game this month
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Putting a stop to fans attending to games would come mean no fans at Fratton Park for the Boxing Day clash with Swindon and represent a blow to the club, with their presence making a big difference to atmosphere.

The financial return from fans being at games represented a drop in the ocean against the £700,000 the club has been haemorrhaging each month through the coronavirus crisis, but nonetheless marked a relative step towards normality.

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