Potential blow for Portsmouth as pilot events for sports fans is cancelled

That’s after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today that spectators will not be allowed to attend the pilot sports events scheduled for this weekend in England after a spike in coronavirus cases.

That includes tomorrow’s Glorious Goodwood meeting on the South Downs and the World Snooker Championship, which runs over 17 days.

Some 5,000 racegoers had been due to attend the Glorious Goodwood Festival on Saturday.

Pompey are due to kick off their 2020-21 League One campaign on September 12 behind closed doors.

However, a return for supporters was pencilled in for October, albeit at a reduced Fratton Park capacity.

That time frame might now be in doubt as the government assesses the continued risk posed by Covid-19.

The new restrictions on fans will be enforced until at least August 15.

Johnson said: ‘Pilots of larger crowds at sports venues will not take place.

‘I said from May we would not hesitate to put on the brakes at the slightest sign that the numbers were going in the wrong direction.’

In response to the cancellation of the planned return of spectators to Goodwood, a joint statement from Goodwood racecourse, the British Horseracing Authority and the Racecourse Association said: ‘The government has informed racing's leaders in the past hour that it has withdrawn permission for a pilot event involving customers to proceed at Goodwood tomorrow.

‘The racing on Saturday will continue behind closed doors as it has on the earlier days of the Festival.

‘The Prime Minister is setting out the rationale for the government's decision but we understand that concern about the national infection rate is the primary reason, and as a result all pilots of larger crowds in sporting venues will be postponed until at least August 15.’