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Fans told to stay at home as Liverpool lift Premier League title
22 July 2020, 13:16
Liverpool fans will see their team lift the Premier League title for the first time later following their final home game of the season against Chelsea.
It’s the reds first top-flight domestic league title in 30 years which they won in a record 31 games.
But celebrations on Merseyside will be muted as the coronavirus pandemic has meant no fans will be allowed inside the stadium or outside the ground.
Merseyside Police, Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Football Club have told fans to ‘Stay at home and celebrate’ following large gatherings both outside the ground and at the Pier head in the city after the reds were confirmed as Premier League champions last month.
Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Andy Cooke, said: “As a father, brother, husband – I care about my friends and family and the potential impact that a second spike of the coronavirus could have on the people of Merseyside.
“This pandemic hasn’t gone away – I know we’ve seen the relaxation of lockdown but you only need to pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV to see that other areas of the country are having to reintroduce restrictions because of a rise in the number of COVID related cases.”
It’s a message that was also echoed by the Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp.
“We don’t want to say it is completely wrong but it is not right. We cannot excuse one wrong thing with another.
“The first chance we get, we will have this party, but only when it is appropriate.”
LBC travels to Norway to meet the biggest Liverpool FC supporters club outside of England
It won’t just be fans in Liverpool who will be watching Jordan Henderson lift the trophy from home or at the pub tonight.
Before the UK lockdown, LBC News travelled to Oslo, Norway to meet a group of supporters who claim to be the biggest LFC fan group outside of England with 54,000 members.
The group has more members than the ruling political party in Norway and will spend thousands of pounds a year, travelling thousands of miles every season to watch games at Anfield.
Nils Jakob Forli, Chairman of the Official LFC Supporters Group, says: “It’s been many years without a top league trophy, last time we won it was felt like it was usual, we did not think it would be 30 years we would have to wait until the next one.”
“I have a very old wine which I bought from Anfield in the mid 90’s – It probably won’t taste that good now but I have said I will drink it the day we lift the Premier League…..It probably won’t taste that good but I have made this promise to myself.”
Fellow member and Norwegian supporter, Heidi Sparem, told LBC News she started supporting Liverpool just after they won the league in 1990 but the club means more to her than just the football.
“I can’t remember us winning the league last time – I started supporting Liverpool because of my mum and my brother…..I lost him in 2007 and that was when I realised what You’ll never walk alone means.
“I went on some forums and I told fellow fans about what happened to my brother and the response I got was amazing from so many people I’d never met before…..I now call them my Liverpool family because they helped me so much.”
