Anger as Palladium is 'packed' for Arsene Wenger event while football fans aren't allowed in stadiums

'Packed': Football fans are frustrated after plans to bring back fans were scrapped
Mark Shenton
Tom Dutton14 October 2020

Frustrated football fans have raised questions over the decision to keep stadiums closed after pictures of a "packed" London Palladium surfaced this week.

Premier League and Football League matches could be played behind closed doors until as late as April next year after Boris Johnson put the brakes on a phased reintroduction of crowds from October 1.

The Evening Standard last week launched a campaign - Bring Back the Fans - to urge the Government to rethink their stance, while a petition to allow limited crowds to return is nearing 200,000 signatures.

Playing games behind closed doors might have already cost London’s economy close to £1 billion and now football fans feel they are having their noses rubbed in it with indoor events going ahead at London's theatres.

The Palladium welcomed a significant audience for both Sunday night’s performance of the musical ‘Songs for a New World’ and Monday’s Q&A session with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan tweeted: "How can the London Palladium be packed like this last night for an event with Arsene Wenger, but football fans aren't allowed to watch matches outside even socially distanced?

"I'm completely bemused."

Chelsea fan Tim Rolls said: "So it is OK for what looks like a lot of theatre goers to attend the 'Songs For A New World' at the London Palladium last night, but not for the same number to enter a football ground or seven people to go to the pub. Incomprehensible."

Tweeting a picture of the Wenger Q&A event, Match of the Day host Gary Lineker posted: "Makes no sense whatsoever. You can listen to football chat in a relatively crowded indoor arena, but you can’t watch football with a limited crowd in an outdoor arena."

Despite concerns over whether social distancing was strictly imposed, LW Theatres said all parties were kept at least one metre apart.

A spokesperson for LW Theatres said: “The London Palladium was not 'packed' last night for 'An Evening with Arsène Wenger'. We were operating at 50% capacity.

"This is fully in line with, and indeed goes further than, the Government's current Stage 4 guidance for the reopening of theatres. With the support of public health officials and Westminster Council, social distancing of 1m distance plus safety mitigations - for example mandatory face coverings - is in place between each customer bubble across The London Palladium.

“We have ensured that all bubbles are seated at least 1m apart through reconfigured seats: in the circles, we use "chequerboard" seating and, in the stalls, we have respaced rows to ensure a 1m distance on all sides. Operating at or below 50% capacity, this is part of a wide range of health and safety measures, including mandatory temperature checks on arrival and an enhanced cleaning regime, in place across the theatre. More information about all the measures in place across The London Palladium can be found on our website.”

Chief executive Rebecca Kane Burton tweeted: "Let me be very clear. Social distancing was and is at the heart of all planning of events."