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Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has said that he considers football's return during the coronavirus pandemic as a "public service," even if played behind closed doors.
UEFA has given European domestic leagues a May 25 deadline to provide details on if and how they can complete their season.
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Mourinho said the return of football in any form will be beneficial for fans during the lockdown, adding that he is support of holding games behind closed doors.
"We hope and pray that this will end soon," Mourinho told Portuguese newspaper Record. "There should only be football with the minimum of conditions, but they have to be defined by the competent authorities in terms of health.
"I am in favour of football being played behind closed doors, if that is the case, because it is a way of putting the industry to work. Apart from that, it is giving people what they like so much. I would say it is almost ... a public service.
"How many millions in this world love football? How many millions would rather be at home than watching football? How many millions will be watching the games behind closed doors?
"But the most important thing is the definition of the safety conditions by the entities that specialise on the subject."
The Premier League, halted since March 13, is hopeful of resuming in June following talks with the U.K. government this week.
While the majority of Premier League players want to return to play, there is a growing number that do not want to return to action during the pandemic, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
On Monday, Spurs announced that they will return to training and that all players and staff will follow social distancing protocol in line with the "government guidelines".
Mourinho also said that players and fans must adapt to the new reality amid the lockdown.
"Of course it creates some frustration for those who like to go to the stadiums, because that is is the essence of the game," he added.
"Obviously for us, coaches and players, the essence, the dream and the biggest motivation is to play with stadiums full of fans, but if we look at things from the perspective of how many millions will be watching us in a game behind closed doors, we change our way of thinking."
Source: espn.co.uk