Premier League chief Richard Masters shares the view of Brighton CEO Paul Barber that fans could be back inside football stadiums in small numbers before the end of the season.

Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football event, Masters said that it will be next season before significant numbers return to games but is keen to see turnstiles open for smaller crowds before the conclusion of the current campaign.

That will depend on a number of factors, including a staged lifting of the current nationwide lockdown, but with case numbers falling and the vaccine rollout working there is renewed optimism.

“No one can say because this pandemic has a way of surprising you, as it did over Christmas, but we’ve not lost hope we will see a few back this season,” Masters said.

“Certainly next season I hope it opens up quickly, we can work with the government again, and get fans back into stadiums in real numbers.”

His comments come after Brighton CEO Paul Barber said he had hope that fans would be able to return to stadiums before the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

Speaking at Financial Times’ Business of Football event, Barber said: “We are hopeful that we might see a small number of fans back by the end of the season.

“But realistically we are preparing for the worst and them not coming back.

“There are a number of issues. There is going to be the issue of confidence, even when people have received the vaccine, not everybody will take the option of having it, and in terms of fans coming back in large numbers and getting to and from the stadium.

“There is the financial issue, too. A lot of people have lost their jobs so that is going to have some impact on season tickets and match day sales.

“And then were set to face some form of government restrictions, whether that is in terms of limited capacity or social distancing.

Meanwhile, Masters had admitted that football has been treated differently compared to other sports by the government during the pandemic.

Asked if he felt the Premier League was made an example of and treated more harshly by the government in comparison to other sports, Masters said that the sport has been a victim of its own success.

“There have been a number of instances where football has been treated differently to others but it’s the flip side to being the success story we are,” he added.

“The optics of being seen to do the right thing is important. We’re making progress.”