Portsmouth's forthright view over their position on finishing season impacting safety

Pompey have strongly rebutted any suggestion their position on finishing the season could compromise safety.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

But Blues chief executive Mark Catlin acknowledged the Blues face having to change views of other clubs to complete the season on the pitch.

It’s set to be a big few days for deciding the way forward on the League One season after Friday’s meeting of EFL members.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

That’s in line with the EFL view outlined by chairman Rick Parry last month, although the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means many clubs are no longer in that camp.

There are some concerns over how finishing the season could impact safety, with eyes on the Bundesliga in Germany as it returned on Saturday.

Catlin has continually stressed ensuring the health of participants and those around a potential return would be paramount.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And he highlighted how both the government position on the return of elite sport chimes with Pompey’s view, along with last week’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s release on safe training at elite level.

Pompey chief executive Mark CatlinPompey chief executive Mark Catlin
Pompey chief executive Mark Catlin

Catlin said: ‘There’s mixed views and opinions. There’s going to be - we have to respect that.

‘The route forward is there’s a return-to-training date on May 25 and everything we’re doing is gearing up to that date.

‘The notion we’re putting people at risk, that would be going against government and DCMS advice.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘That is what we’ve all as a society based our decisions on over the last eight weeks.

‘You can’t just pick and choose when you take that advice - and the advice given around the five key points and testing regimes is it’s safe to continue.’

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.