Premier League club representatives will come together to discuss possible courses of actions on what to do with the current season.
They could potentially agree to see the season to its end by June 30. This was made possible after UEFA decided to postpone the Champions League until 2021 so that club seasons could be completed. After the Premier League season and EFL matches were suspended until April 4 and 3 respectively, clubs started to dread that the season would not reach its end. This is still a possibility but according to rumours, there is a strong determination to see the season’s end.
Sixteen of the twenty clubs still have nine games remaining on their calendar and Liverpool is just a single win away from winning their first Premier League title in thirty years. Manchester City, Sheffield United, Arsenal, and Aston Villa, on the other hand, have 10 games remaining each.
According to reports, once the decision was made back in March 13 that the season would be suspended indefinitely, the clubs avoided asking and tackling the question regarding the fate of the season – how will it end, when will it end, the finishing places per club, the awards, relegation and promotion, and other similar questions. Karren Brady’s (West Ham’s vice-chairman) suggestion that the entire season be considered null and void was heavily criticized back then but it’s now being considered as a valid step. However, there has been a rise in wanting to see clubs finish their seasons, as well as European tournaments such as the Champions League and the Europa League.
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Ever since the suspension took place, Premier League’s football department has been brainstorming possible solutions and scenarios on continuing clubs’ matches once the situation lightens and if the government allows it. Clubs still believe that matches should not be played before after April 4, but they will also discuss this during their meeting to see if it is still a feasible target.
FIFA also recently announced that they had formed a group consisting of the six continental football leagues. Together, they will discuss if they should adjust players’ contracts and registration periods if their respective seasons cannot be completed by June 30. However, one of the most realistic scenarios that the leagues are looking at is playing matches behind closed doors – even if they don’t like the idea because it defeats the purpose of the game.
Recently, the British government also warned the public to stay away from mass gathering in the meantime so as not to further spread the virus. In a statement, they said that the public should be practising ‘social distancing’ where people are expected to stay at least an arm’s length apart from one another.