LONDON: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said that Premier League clubs that fall under the UK government's Tier 3 coronavirus guidelines should be trusted enough to manage the attendance of fans at matches.
Lampard's remark came as new guidelines were issued on Monday in which London was moved to Tier 3 from Tier 2, and as a result, Chelsea would not be allowed to have fans enter the stadium in their Premier League clash against Wolves, Goal.com reported.
Under the UK government guidelines, fans are not allowed to attend games in Tier 3 while those in Tier 1 and Tier 2 can welcome 4,000 and 2,000 spectators respectively.
"If some clubs can have them and some can't, we've seen I think already, I felt it on the pitch, the backing they give you and what it does to the game. I think that should be pretty level. I also think - I'm not telling the government what to do but - we can control 2,000 fans coming into the stadium, if they are coming from within their tier or however you want to do that to keep things moving along. So it is unfortunate, to say the least," Goal.com quoted Lampard as saying.
"Let's get it right: we are making it up as we go along. That's not to sound critical, that's just a fact because we've never been in this position before. I think when you are talking about if clubs can control that situation, I think they've shown it so far that they can. So, I would like to think there could be something done to make it exempt where we can get that 2,000 number in. But that goes above my station, I'm just saying what I think," he added.
Chelsea had welcomed 2,000 fans back to Stamford Bridge for games with Leeds United and Krasnodar following the conclusion of the second national lockdown.
The Blues are currently at the fifth position in the Premier League standings with 22 points from 12 games. The side will next take on Wolves later today.