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Jurgen Klopp (Getty Images)
Liverpool and Everton They will be the only Premier League teams capable of hosting fans at their home games after Boxing Day, as the British government strengthened its coronavirus tier system.
A mutant strain of the virus has led to various regions that were previously at Level 2, and allowed to host sporting events with up to 2,000 people, now bouncing off harder lockdown levels.
Southampton and Brighton will move to Level 4 starting at midnight on Saturday, which will mean that fans will no longer be able to watch matches at St Mary’s or Amex, while Liverpool City Region will remain at Level 2.
The new rules, announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday, will also have an impact later on in the leagues with Bristol City also barred from welcoming fans to Ashton Gate since Saturday.
In the Football League, Plymouth, Exeter, Bournemouth and Tranmere are among the few remaining clubs capable of hosting supporters, albeit with a reduced cap.
Covid-19 continued to wreak havoc on sports matches, with Rotherham’s Sky Bet Championship match against Middlesbrough on Boxing Day postponed due to more confirmed Covid-19 cases.
The Millers had already seen their home game against relegation rivals Derby on Saturday canceled after a player tested positive for coronavirus and other team members showed symptoms.
Rotherham confirmed “a number of additional positive Covid-19 cases” within the first team squad, which meant the club was also unable to deliver on the Boxing Day match at Riverside Stadium.
On the other hand, the next two matches of Portsmouth’s Sky Bet League One have been postponed by the EFL following five confirmed cases of Covid-19.
League leader Pompey was due to host Swindon on December 26 before a trip to Bristol Rovers on December 26.
– TEAMtalk Media
