Leeds United are out of training and back to the cut-and-thrust of football come Sunday against Cardiff City. Their first game at Elland Road comes the following Saturday, June 27. It will be played in front of 15,000+ ‘crowdie’ fans as part of the club’s push to full the empty stands. However, with some fans threatening to congregate outside, they may want to pay attention to the Government’s warning to Premier League sides.
According to the Daily Mail’s David Coverdale, the Government has issued a very stark warning indeed to Premier League clubs should fans gather outside their grounds whilst home games are underway. Sports Minister Nigel Huddlestone is clear in what he thinks and said:
“Fans have a critical role to play. If people do congregate rather than follow the guidance, it will put people in danger and it will threaten football’s future.”
He continued by saying that it will bad for football if the police are required to disperse any large gatherings of fans and issues a very stark warning. If gatherings occur Huddlestone threatened:
“If it happens, there will be implications. We have had this long debate of neutral stadia versus home games – and neutral [venues] comes back on the cards if we can’t manage local crowds.”
Whilst this threat is aimed at Premier League games, it will obviously apply to Championship sides as well. That threat could very well make Leeds United suffer having to play at neutral venues if fans carry out their own ‘threat’ to turn up and cheer the Whites on from the outside of the stadium.
This threat comes from social media ‘noise’ but became loud enough for the Leeds United Supporter Twitter account to commission the following videos:
Twitter: #StayAway #RespectOurNorman #ProtectPromotion https://t.co/vCbQTMqiWe (@lufctrust)
Twitter: It’s important that we all #StayAway from Elland Road as we go into these vital remaining games. #RespectOurNorman… https://t.co/D715Pf1eF4 (@lufctrust)
The urge to turn up for Leeds United fans will always be something of a burning desire. There has not been a crowd below 34,000 at Elland Road this season. Fans will obviously want to be a part of football when it comes back.
For the diehards, the novelty of having a cardboard cut-out fixed to a seat at Elland Road doesn’t even begin to cut it. The possible presence of pumped-in crowd noise is a no-no. For them, it’s outside the ground cheering their side on.
However, maybe the should take heed of the bigger picture. Selfishly do that, suffer the consequences of a neutral venue.
