Liverpool 'disappointed' with Mayor Joe Anderson's comments over return of football

Liverpool football club has issued a statement stating that it 'disappointed' by the comments made by Mayor Joe Anderson regarding football fans not respecting social distancing guidelines and gathering outside Anfield to celebrate. The club said that there were no grounds for his claims and that they will be coordinating with his office to continue discussions regarding the return of the sport. 

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The statement released by the Liverpool read, "As a club, we are aware of and disappointed by comments attributed to Mayor Joe Anderson in a media interview which was published today.

As well as a lack of evidence to support such claims, we would also point to recent discussions with Mayor Anderson relating to the possibility of any behind-closed-doors football, which concluded that it is important that key stakeholders across the city continue to engage and work collaboratively.

In recent weeks, we have engaged with supporters’ groups who have informed us of their determination to respect social distancing measures and, in the event of a resumption of football being announced, we would continue to work with them and other key stakeholders in keeping with our collective desire to achieve this crucial objective.

As part of our ongoing operations, we are in regular contact with the Mayor and his office and we hope these conversations can continue."

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Earlier, in an interview with a media portal, Mayor Anderson had criticised the Premier League for planning to resume football amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that even if matches were played behind closed doors, there would be fans who would gather outside stadiums and added that not many fans would respect the lockdown and social distancing guidelines.

In the interview, Mayor Anderson said that many fans would gather before matches and would also celebrate together. He was also skeptical about matches being played at neutral venues.

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