Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge. Image: Government of the Netherlands

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge confirms supporters will not be allowed to attend football matches in the Netherlands until there is a COVID-19 vaccine.

Sport across the country is currently postponed due to the virus outbreak, and the Dutch Government have banned all sporting events until 1^st September 2020.

De Jonge wrote to the Dutch parliament to explain that footballs fans will not inside the stadium, even if the government decides to allow sporting events to resume from this September.

He said:

We cannot yet mention a date for the last step, the mass gatherings. That is actually only possible if there is a vaccine and no one knows how long it will take. We hope, of course soon, but a year or more is very real.

It’s a sad moment in Dutch Football history as leagues officials have already confirmed the Eredivisie 2019/20 season is over, with no champions and no relegation.

Gary Neville says struggling Premier League clubs will be ’bullied’ into playing out the remainder of the 2019/20 season.

The Manchester United legend, speaking on Thursday’s The Football Show on Sky Sports, says:

There is no doubt we have got a divided Premier League in terms of what the clubs want. The message from day one of this pandemic is a global approach, unity, be kind.

The current bottom three – Aston Villa, Norwich and Bournemouth – have publicly expressed how much they depend on home-field advantage to secure valuable points, in a bid to save them from Premier League relegation.

Premier League clubs are due to hold a crucial vote on Monday to decide to introduce ‘Project Restart’ which could potentially see the remaining games played behind closed doors in neutral stadiums.

According to recent reports, the three teams placed in the Premier League’s bottom three have been warned that relegation could be imposed on them if they fail to comply with the League’s plans to resume the season next month at neutral venues.

Kubrat Pulev’s manager says Anthony Joshua’s next bout could be held in a Roman amphitheatre in Croatia.

Joshua, 30, was scheduled to defend his IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles against mandatory challenger, Pulev, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 20 June.

The fight was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and no alternative date or venue has since been set.

Pulev’s manager Ivaylo Gotsev. says: ‘We are discussing Croatia…there is a unique Roman stadium – Pula Arena – and we are in active talks.’

Gotsev says both camps are aiming to reschedule the bout for August or September 2020.

Bowler Mark Wood says players are open to a permanent summer isolation in order for England matches to take place this summer.

Talks are underway to play in a bio-secure environment which could involve players staying together for weeks and being subject to regular COVID-19 testing.

Mark Wood says ‘Everybody in the squad, as long as the conditions are right, would be willing to come back and play some cricket.’

There will be no cricket in England and Wales until at least 1 July.

This led to the postponement of England’s Test series against West Indies.

Old Trafford and Southampton have been touted as possible neutral grounds, because each have a hotel on site where players, staff, media and anyone else required to be at a match could stay.

England last played a competitive match back in February, beating South Africa 2-1 in the T20 series on the road.