UEFA and Brighton have given West Ham United fans hope they could be back in the London Stadium by October.
West Ham starlet could end up at club like Man City after shock departure – insider
Hammers fans have not been to a match at home since February 29th, the 3-1 win over Southampton.
West Ham fared reasonably well without supporters after the restart.
West Ham fans given hope of London Stadium return
David Moyes’s side were under intense pressure to secure Premier League survival.
But despite a sticky restart the Hammers turned things around and effectively stayed up with two games to spare.
As lockdown eases there is now new hope West Ham supporters could return to the London Stadium by October.
That’s after UEFA confirmed 20,000 fans will attend the Super Cup final between Bayern Munich and Sevilla at the 68,000 seater Puskas Arena in Budapest (BBC Sport).
European champions Bayern Munich will face Europa League winners Sevilla at the 68,000-seater Puskas Arena on Thursday, 24 September.
18,000 Hammers could be back for Man City in October
Uefa said “up to 30% of the capacity of the stadium” would be allowed.
A statement said it is “in order to study precisely the impact of fans on the Uefa Return to Play Protocol”.
It added: “The Uefa administration will keep monitoring the situation and advise the executive committee if any change is required or recommended in respect of either the 2020 Uefa Super Cup and/or the decision that Uefa matches shall be played behind closed doors until further notice.”
That would mean 18,000 West Ham fans could be in line to return to the London Stadium for the game against Manchester City on October 24th.
It would also mean West Ham would face back-to-back away games against Leicester and Tottenham with only their home fans present.
Music to the ears of “cash-strapped” West Ham owners
Brighton too will give West Ham hope of a stadium return (Sky Sports).
The AMEX looks set to be the first stadium to welcome supporters back in England following the global health crisis.
A friendly match for the Seagulls, before the new season gets underway, is thought to have been proposed as a test event.
The government is due to issue its full proposals for fans returning to stadiums in the coming days.
It will be music to the ears of West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold and their vice-chairman Karren Brady.
The West Ham hierarchy have been pleading poverty in the transfer window.
They have pointed to the loss of income due to coronavirus as a reason why they cannot invest in the team.
And that has angered supporters who are watching their Premier League rivals being active in the transfer market.
Having fans back in the ground will mean more money coming into the club and less refunded to season ticket holders who cannot attend.