This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
July 4, 2020, marked the return of football to screens worldwide, bringing a much-needed distraction to a world desperate for solace from the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the experience has been vastly different from the usual carnival atmosphere that characterised the crowds in stadia before March.
Empty stadia, echoes of teammates barking instructions to one another, and at times groans of players grimacing in pain after a dangerous tackle have replaced the noise of passionate fans.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire barked at teammate Luke Shaw, caught in possession while playing against Sheffield United, 'Switch on.'
Normally, these shouts would be drowned out by the deafening cheers and boos of passionate fans, but now they echo through the empty stadia.
Passionate fans have been forced to adapt to a weird football stage, with WhatsApp texts replacing the shouts that characterised the carnival.
Even the celebrations are muted, with fans who jubilate whenever their team scores now forced to follow the epic from the comfort of their living rooms.
For a game that is only played in empty stadia whenever a country or club is facing sanctions, soccer players and the ever passionate fans are living in weird times.
Tottenham Hotspurs manager Jose Mourinho said, 'After more than two decades in football, it is hard to say something is new for me but this is new for me. So how the boys are going to react? How they are going to control their feelings, emotions or lack of it? Playing in an empty stadium is the unknown for all of us.'
