English football’s governing bodies have confirmed that there will be no professional football in England until at least 30 April.
While they have reiterated their collective determination to complete current campaigns at all levels, no date for a resumption of action has been set.
Room to complete the 2020/21 season has been made possible by the decision to postpone Euro 2020 for one year.
The Guardian also reports that Fifa and continental governing body across the world are joining forces to discuss the relaxing of normal player registration rules if seasons need to run past 30 June. Player contracts usually run until that date so it’s obviously an issue that needs to be solved from a legal standpoint.
A joint statement released this afternoon by the FA, Premier League, EFL and women’s professional game, together with the PFA and LMA, says:
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 1 June” 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 30 April.
The progress of COVID-19 remains unclear and we can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority. 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.
We would all like to re-emphasise that our thoughts are with everyone affected by COVID-19.
Anyone want to just go with alphabetical order and leave it there?
AFC Bournemouth as champions? Yeah, OK.
Cracking idea
Nice move.
Helps our injured players to recover.
March Torreira – Misses the remainder of the season with a fractured ankle
May Torreira – Returns to the team after one game out with a fractured ankle
“Told you he was ok” Torriera’s dad
Arsenal Reloaded twice a week I assume then?
The Swedish PL channel has started to air “PL Classics”. Yesterday’s game was the Newcastle-Arsenal game from 2015, the 4-4. A great first half, and I just skipped the second.
…still managed to feel horrible, though. It was like watching the blueprint of another 3,5 years of bottling great results against weak opposition unfold.
Great move..
1st half Diaby masterclass.. 2nd half ref and Barton double whammy
Yes ref Phil Dowd was conned And slow as a week without football or any sport. Barton is a just a c…t … still.
Was there, took my god son ,
The lads should have gone for 6 or 7 eased off, left door open
What if the situation remains the same past the 30th April? Abort, restart 2020 in 2019 status quo. No? (Look away Liverpool fans) ?
From a human perspective though, I hope a solution for this epidemic is found very soon. It’s not funny at all having to stay at home and away from everyone, not being able to hug, high five and share drinks in a crowded pub!
You can do all of that (for now) just with an added risk.
You definitely shouldn’t be doing that now. The UK has been super slow to react, but everyone should be practicing social distancing to miminimise the effects to the elderly/vulnerable
I think they will always try to finish the current season, too much at stake not to, even if it happens really late. My view would be that they should do that, and if necessary run a reduced season next season. Depending on time you could follow something like SPL model with 1 round of complete fixtures, with the second half being 2 mini leagues of top and bottom 10 (league runs 2/3 of regular length) or if less time is there do a half length season where teams play each other once only. H/A fixtures could be drawn, or… Read more »
sorry, half season, plus a half of a half, would make 3/4 season length.. I really didn’t think this through. ?
I came across the idea to change the schedule of all leagues across europe till the qatar winter world cup. Have Euro’s coincide with the ANC in January next year, try to finish the current season by mid November.
Start the next season after the Euros and have this same summer football till the world cup.
If there’s demand to change football back to it’s original schedule post world cup, then slowly adjust the calendar.
Hopefully we’ll be able to finish the season by November this year.
I would love it if Liverpool’s first title in 30 years doesn’t happen, because of this virus which isn’t as bad as the flu
It’s OK as they lost to Watford (whilst deserving the title, I’m afraid to say).
You’re being sarcastic, right? This virus is awful. Look at what is happening in Italy right now.
Apart from the fact it is a virus which is 10
times as infectious as the flu therefore It spreads vastly more quickly as is therefore far more dangerous. However it is interesting to see people who think they know more than the World Health Organisation.
It’s also interesting to see people slavishly now and defer to inefficient, bureaucratic “World… Organizations” instead of exercising their brain cells. As they say, common sense is not common.
*slavishly bow, kowtow, genuflect, etc…
The people we love who are vulnerable to this epidemic are more important than football. In short fuck football right now. Every life lost because people take this shit lightly, is a life wasted. Shut up and wash your hands.
Tell me more things you’ve learned from people on YouTube. People with any brain cells should trust the experts, or just look at what is happening in Italy, and where they would be without a lockdown.
WHO are you calling indifferent mate! Luck we have really smart people to tell us the truth behind this global conspiracy. LOL
I bet your house is stacked full of toilet roll
This is dangerous misinformation. There is a flu vaccine, there’s no vaccine for this. The NHS is not equipped to cope, and neither are the public apparently.
I don’t understand the decision to postpone it until at least 30th April. What advice are the government sharing with the FA that they aren’t sharing with the public? Advice is to isolate for 14 days, and then what? I expect and hope the curve will flatten by the 2nd week of April. Perhaps I am too optimistic.
At least 2 weeks for the infection rate to stop rising, at least 3 weeks after that for the infection rate to come down significantly to allow people to begin socializing gin.
Judging by how things are going so far it will be much, much longer than a few weeks before anything returns to normal.
They’ve been saying for over a week now that they expect the peak to be 9-12 weeks away. It’s likely this advice that they’ve been giving the PL too…?
I doubt there will be any more EPL football in 2020.
There is no way they will be able to resume the season.