Fans attending Premier League matches next season may need a Covid Passport and told to wear masks.
The Government is expected to 'encourage' the use of Covid certification and masks for large crowds but will not mandate either.
The development of the new guidance comes following renewed fears that big crowds could accelerate the spread of coronavirus after Freedom Day on 19th July when the Government is set to lift all legal restrictions on social distancing.
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For the Premier League, it now looks increasingly likely that the Government will try to get a certification scheme in place from the first match of the new season, which is Brentford versus Arsenal on Friday 13th August.
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A Whitehall source told The Telegraph: "We are going to strongly encourage sports to use it.
"I think sports will be fairly strongly incentivised to do it.
"Through guidance, we will be encouraging the use of masks. Certainly, an event organiser can put it as a condition of entry."
Covid certification uses the NHS app. However, those attending recent events have struggled to access the app when the phone network gets overloaded in crowded areas.
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Supporters attending Euro 2020 matches at Wembley and the tennis at Wimbledon also highlighted flaws in the system, which involves a cursory check of the app or a test result by a steward.
"No QR code readers at Wembley," tweeted Nottingham Forest fan Martyn Scott. "The steward just asked me if [the QR code] meant I'd had two vaccinations. I said yes. He said go through. I could have used a free pizza code."
The Premier League has been looking at how it could integrate scanning the NHS app QR code with checking tickets at the turnstiles, but it is unclear whether an adequate solution has been found or could be implemented in time.
Last season, supporters in the Premier League and EFL were not required to wear masks while sat in their seats outdoors but did so when inside and entering and leaving the stadium.
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At the Euro 2020 final at Wembley on Sunday similar rules were in place but almost universally ignored.
Covid certification has already been used at pilot events for the return of crowds to sport, which have witnessed major changes to how those events are organised, including staggered entry times.
"One of the things clubs face is that supporters have their routines ingrained," the source continued. "You walk a certain way to the ground, you meet at a certain time beforehand, you have routines and rituals around going to the game. Most fans do.
"So having to stagger entry and tell different fans to arrive at different times, clubs are going to have to be very, very clear and up front to communicate that."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Premier League
