Keith Hackett shares if kickoff delay possible in Chelsea vs Liverpool amid chaotic scenes
Liverpool’s trip to Chelsea has been thrown into chaos just hours before the match is due to start.
Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge without Alisson on 4 October, but there was more positive news on Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa.
That duo are expected to be in contention for the contest, as the Anfield outfit look to bounce back from defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
However, fans may have difficulty getting to the game, which could have an impact on the time that the match kicks off.
Is Liverpool vs Chelsea kick-off delay possible?
Liverpool are looking to get back to winning ways against Chelsea, but supporters have faced issues getting down to London for the 17:30 GMT kick-off.
Trains from Liverpool Lime Street and Runcorn have been cancelled due to damage to overhead wires, as a result of Storm Amy.
Former PGMOL Chief Keith Hackett believes that kick-off would not be delayed though, due to the operational issues that it would cause.
Speaking exclusively to Liverpool News, he said: “One of the difficulties of delaying the kick off in the Chelsea v Liverpool game due to train cancellations centres around security arrangements at and around the stadium.
“London Underground schedule additional trains to ensure that when the game is over, supporters can egress the ground and travel quickly to main line stations.
“This game is also on a schedule to be transmitted around the World, where in parts of Asia there is a huge number of fans.
“It is therefore unlikely that kick-off will be delayed.”
As usual, supporters are not going to be a consideration, even though, they are the lifeblood of the game.
Football does not care about the fans
It is already obvious, but football as a whole, does not care about those who keep it running and finance it every week.
Fans are always the last consideration when it comes to moving fixtures, ticket prices, broadcast times and several other issues.
The fact that Hackett, who is well informed on procedures such as delaying kick-offs, suggests that it will not happen, despite the travel chaos, suggests that nothing has changed in that regard.
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