Premier League Suspended Until April 30th
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Well, in fairness football administrators are generally such a hopeless bunch that it wouldn't particularly have surprised me if they'd kneejerked into a decision to void the season without thinking the consequences through.
But this is clearly the right decision and no, I'm not saying that just because I'm a Liverpool fan.
But this is clearly the right decision and no, I'm not saying that just because I'm a Liverpool fan.
I think it's obviously the right decision, and I haven't spared a single thought for anyone other than myself. All will lay in ruin, and we can parade through the blood and the bones.
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{td}England's football authorities will delay the start of the 2020-21 season until the last ball has been kicked in the 2019-20 campaign, with sources telling ESPN that this year's Premier League and EFL seasons will "absolutely finish before the next one begins."
The decision, announced following a video conference involving all 20 Premier League clubs on Thursday in which it was agreed to extend the football shutdown until April 30 at the earliest, has raised the prospect of Liverpool having to wait until the autumn, or even later, to secure their first league title in 30 years.
All professional football in England was halted last Friday, initially until April 3, due to the coronavirus pandemic that has led to many nations across the globe imposing strict lockdown measures in an effort to delay the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The pandemic has already resulted in the postponement of Euro 2020 for 12 months.
Sources have told ESPN that there is a hope within the English game that fixtures could resume in early May, although it is likely that those would be played behind closed doors.
But with relegation and promotion issues still to be resolved throughout the professional game in England, as well as the FA Cup, which has been suspended at the quarterfinal stage, the Football Association, Premier League and EFL have accepted that next season cannot begin until this campaign has been concluded.
However, with no end in sight to the crisis, the FA Board has now taken the unprecedented step of extending "indefinitely" the June 1 deadline for all leagues to be concluded this season.
In a joint statement, the FA, Premier League and EFL said: "We are united in our commitment to finding ways of resuming the 2019-20 football season and ensuring all domestic and European club league and cup matches are played as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.
"We have collectively supported UEFA in postponing Euro 2020 to create space in the calendar to ensure domestic and European club league and cup matches have an increased opportunity to be played and, in doing so, maintain the integrity of each competition.
"The FA's Rules and Regulations state that "the season shall terminate not later than the June 1" and "each competition shall, within the limit laid down by The FA, determine the length of its own playing season.
"However, the FA's board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019-20 season in relation to professional football. Additionally, we have collectively agreed that the professional game in England will be further postponed until no earlier than April 30.
"We will continue to follow government advice and work collaboratively to keep the situation under review and explore all options available to find ways of resuming the season when the conditions allow."
Clubs within the EFL have been advised by the league to stop training until April 3, with sources telling ESPN that a return to training after that date could make it possible for games to be played in May.
There is now an acceptance that next season will be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, but sources have told ESPN that the sporting integrity of the professional game makes it a necessity to finish this season before attentions are turned to the next one.
"Who knows when next season will start and how many games clubs will we be able to play?" a club source told ESPN. "But this is the only way. We have to end this season first."{/td}
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https://www.espn.co.uk/football/engl...until-april-30
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{td}England's football authorities will delay the start of the 2020-21 season until the last ball has been kicked in the 2019-20 campaign, with sources telling ESPN that this year's Premier League and EFL seasons will "absolutely finish before the next one begins."
The decision, announced following a video conference involving all 20 Premier League clubs on Thursday in which it was agreed to extend the football shutdown until April 30 at the earliest, has raised the prospect of Liverpool having to wait until the autumn, or even later, to secure their first league title in 30 years.
All professional football in England was halted last Friday, initially until April 3, due to the coronavirus pandemic that has led to many nations across the globe imposing strict lockdown measures in an effort to delay the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The pandemic has already resulted in the postponement of Euro 2020 for 12 months.
Sources have told ESPN that there is a hope within the English game that fixtures could resume in early May, although it is likely that those would be played behind closed doors.
But with relegation and promotion issues still to be resolved throughout the professional game in England, as well as the FA Cup, which has been suspended at the quarterfinal stage, the Football Association, Premier League and EFL have accepted that next season cannot begin until this campaign has been concluded.
However, with no end in sight to the crisis, the FA Board has now taken the unprecedented step of extending "indefinitely" the June 1 deadline for all leagues to be concluded this season.
In a joint statement, the FA, Premier League and EFL said: "We are united in our commitment to finding ways of resuming the 2019-20 football season and ensuring all domestic and European club league and cup matches are played as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.
"We have collectively supported UEFA in postponing Euro 2020 to create space in the calendar to ensure domestic and European club league and cup matches have an increased opportunity to be played and, in doing so, maintain the integrity of each competition.
"The FA's Rules and Regulations state that "the season shall terminate not later than the June 1" and "each competition shall, within the limit laid down by The FA, determine the length of its own playing season.
"However, the FA's board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019-20 season in relation to professional football. Additionally, we have collectively agreed that the professional game in England will be further postponed until no earlier than April 30.
"We will continue to follow government advice and work collaboratively to keep the situation under review and explore all options available to find ways of resuming the season when the conditions allow."
Clubs within the EFL have been advised by the league to stop training until April 3, with sources telling ESPN that a return to training after that date could make it possible for games to be played in May.
There is now an acceptance that next season will be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, but sources have told ESPN that the sporting integrity of the professional game makes it a necessity to finish this season before attentions are turned to the next one.
"Who knows when next season will start and how many games clubs will we be able to play?" a club source told ESPN. "But this is the only way. We have to end this season first."{/td}
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https://www.espn.co.uk/football/engl...until-april-30
We’ll still have won it after 31 games. A record.
I know what you mean, but a voided season would mean we wouldn't get in the record books. Maybe that shouldn't matter, but I have to say it would to me.
I think we can safely say that this season will go down in the record books JJ!
As for voiding a live competition that's a much more fraught decision than delaying the start of a new season in my opinion.
I wonder if anything could be gained by only playing the games that could potentially bear on the relegation and European places? Maybe they could rearrange the fixtures to try to get the potentially crucial games played first.
The league is so tight, apart from a certain outlier, every team is in some kind of battle.
The season, yes indeed, but I want our name formally back on the league's Honours Board.
Totally agree your second para, but I was a bit concerned at one point that a combo of tactical voting by some clubs and a possible "Can't be bothered" attitude from the football authorities could still make it happen, so I'm relieved it hasn't.
Of course we all want that picture of the team and the staff and owners with the trophy.
Re: tactical voting, i agree if it were a couple of games but with 9 or 10 games to go then just about all teams would consider themselves able to win/qualify/avoid relegation etc and that's without the money distribution question.
I suppose you could have a sort of pools panel calling the results of all remaining games but who would want that responsibility!
I think the authorities only really had one realistic choice.
Championship manager will solve this
One irony is that this break is giving the likes of Mane and Salah, who have played way too much football over the past few years, the kind of rest that might add a year or two on to their careers. The other irony is the mad schedule once they start playing again will probably wipe out that advantage.
For me; it is another good reason to stop Internationals being played during the season, and playing them post season. Had it not been for the international breaks the season would have finished by now
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Will the schedule for us be that mad though? We've only got the league to concentrate on, and 9 games to play.
2 games a week, maybe a week with 3 games, but the players will handle that.
My concern is fitness and match fitness after being kept away from training for so long. Might see some injuries when things start up again and the intensity is back.
2 games a week, maybe a week with 3 games, but the players will handle that.
My concern is fitness and match fitness after being kept away from training for so long. Might see some injuries when things start up again and the intensity is back.
Nah. It'll be fine. We win two games, then play Divock and Minamino the rest of the season
Nah. I really really really want us to beat City's points total. Really.
Fool!!!! What about the boss Christmas schedule?
It's certainly a good opportunity to abolish the lame beast that is the league cup. Didn't that only come into being to show off the new floodlights at grounds? So its endurance has been a bit like one of those big faded red noses that some motorists stuck on their cars and forgot to ever take off.
I’m all up for scrapping the league cup, abandon FA cup replays and get rid of a load of international games.
The Premier League is again investigating playing games behind closed doors amid the coronavirus crisis in order to complete the season.
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...date-latest-behind-closed-doors-a9413786.html
I can't see how this is plausible seen as two players have already tested positive for the virus which means that other could be infected, sorry make that three... Charlie Austin
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...date-latest-behind-closed-doors-a9413786.html
I can't see how this is plausible seen as two players have already tested positive for the virus which means that other could be infected, sorry make that three... Charlie Austin
I'm not sure it's a huge issue.
If all players & staff are tested, I'd argue its simply a case of getting clubs to agree on a number of cases per club that allows them to suspend their matches until those players are back available.
Maybe say more than two with CV & they play when they're back. Two unavailable isn't that different to having players injured, I'd argue most clubs have two players unavailable for a lot of games through injury.
Other workplaces are open so there is that risk that is always there. Stopping 50k others being there is the safest option.
Say if there are three or four of the starting eleven that test positve, and how do you test those who are have the virus and who are contagious; yet when tested shows no sign of the virus at present..
Do you think that Karen Brady and West Ham will not want all thier players fully fit...? So good luck on getting them to agree with a reasonable number of players being out,or the FA being able to make them....
And how long do we keep suspending matches...
And would the Club be able to claim for a player who plays in one of these matches and becomes infected, and if a player from Club (a) infects a player from Club (b)
who is liable ..?
Sorry I can not see this being workable now. Maybe before players were infected, but not now
No-one's saying it'll be easy to arrange, but I reckon you're overdoing the arguments against. Clubs can't expect to have the same freedom to pick their best eleven that they have in normal times. Playing behind closed doors would be a far better option for the game as a whole than the chaos that would follow a decision to scrub the season altogether, and you can bet most of the Prem clubs realise that, or they wouldn't have voted as they did earlier this week.
There's no way they can play any games until this is over.
Again I reckon that's too sweeping. Certainly in the UK we may well see variable levels of control imposed from central government as the virus waxes and wanes for probably the next year. That kind of approach could lead to a situation in which various occupations, not just (not even principally) football, decide that the risk of restarting is outweighed by the drawbacks of not doing so.
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