Soccer-Sweden gives green light for league to start

The Swedish government and the country's Public Health Agency have given permission for the top-flight soccer season, postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, to begin on June 14, Swedish Elite Football (SEF) said on Friday.

The league was originally planned to start in April but despite Sweden not taking the stringent lockdown approach of many other countries to combat COVID-19, soccer was put on hold amid fears fans would gather at bars and restaurants to watch games, which will be played behind closed doors.

"We are very grateful that the authorities have accepted the protocols that we have created so that our season can start on June 14, and that they share our view that we can start without contributing to an increased level of infection in society," SEF general secretary Mats Enquist said in a statement.

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