Liverpool and Man United fixture at risk over 'spectator safety' - Keith Hackett
01/05/2025 05:07 AM
Keith Hackett believes the Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Man United is in jeopardy over concerns about spectator safety.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former PGMOL chief, ex-FIFA, and Premier League referee revealed concerns surrounding the fans is "the real issue."
There are no concerns about the pitch at Anfield, but the heavy snowfall has led to worried about fans being able to safely travel to the stadium and how things will operate with the police for such a high-stakes derby.
Paul Joyce of The Times revealed that Liverpool City Council's Ground Safety Advisory Group are set to reconvene at midday to discuss if the game can go ahead given the changing weather conditions.
They originally met at 9am on Sunday morning and developments are continuing to take place regarding the fixture that is due to kick off at 4:30pm.
If the game is postponed it would be the second time this season that has happened to Liverpool after the Merseyside derby was called off on 7 December due to high winds.
Liverpool and Man United's match will depend on spectator's safety
Hackett told Football Insider: "The big question this morning will centre around the Liverpool v Manchester United game.
"Referee Michael Oliver and his team of officials will have spent overnight in a local hotel on the outskirts of Liverpool.
"He will be on hand to carry out an early pitch inspection to ensure that there are no problems.
"The installation of underground heating should avoid a problem, the real issue is ensuring that spectator safety is okay.
"Checks will be carried out around the stadium to ensure that footpaths and roads are clear so that the Police can safely manage the fans and ensure that if any misbehaviour takes place they can safely move numbers of police officers to prevent an escalation of a potential problem.
"Travel by road and rail will already be monitored and of course, getting staff into public services is important and can impact on the game being played.
"The catering staff inside the stadium have to spend several hours preparing food and there are a lot of people involved in these service areas, they have to get to the stadium Parking areas for cars and buses.
"So, whilst we await confirmation of games going ahead today remember that football at the elite level is a big event, and preparing for a game to take place requires a huge amount of planning and preparation.
"Television will have backup plans remembering that the game at Anfield is broadcast around the World to 211 territories.
"Over 45 television stations will be awaiting that decision.
"You can be assured that every effort will be made for these games to take place, [it's] a huge challenge for a lot of people."
In other news, Salah, Van Dijk, Trent latest: Liverpool tipped for 'biggest result in history.'
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