Premier League finally emerging into the daylight after sixty days of stumbling around in the dark

AFTER sixty days of stumbling around in the dark, football is slowly emerging blinking into the daylight.

For the first time since the national game was plunged into lockdown on March 13, we finally have a clearer idea about which direction we’re heading in.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for the latest news & updates

The Premier League is making the first serious steps at getting the show back on the roadCredit: PA:Press Association

So we now know the Premier League season will not be voided and will have a final table with champ­ions and European qualification.

Belated congratulations, then, to Liverpool, whose coronation is now a matter of when and not if.

They might not be there quite yet, but to all intents and purposes the title race is now over bar the shouting.

But it’s not such good news for those teams in and around the bottom three who have been hoping they could somehow wriggle out of trouble by scrapping relegation.

That idea was blown out of the water by FA chairman Greg Clarke at  Monday’s meeting of the Premier League’s chief executives.

So now it’s a case of deciding exactly how we go about concluding the longest campaign in modern football history.

In an ideal world, all 92 outstanding fixtures will be completed in the not too distant future to leave us with a table which reflects the sporting merits of each team.

But that is by no means guaranteed and it seems there is still plenty more arguing to be done before all 20 teams are singing from the same hymn sheet.

CALL THE POLICE

The biggest stumbling block remains growing opposition to playing at neutral venues after 13 clubs made it clear they are not prepared to sacrifice home advantage.

Now, as seems almost certain, next week’s Premier League vote on Project Restart will propose playing at all 20 grounds to protect ‘the integrity’ of the competition.

But it was the Government and police who suggested using as few stadiums as possible because of concerns over fans breaking social distancing to congregate outside.

And while the politicians appear willing to change their plans at the drop of a hat, the old bill might not be quite so accommodating.

Now it will be down to the clubs to satisfy the authorities that they can provide adequate security in the surrounding streets. If they can’t, they either reluctantly accept the lockdown rules or the whole comeback scheme gets flushed away.

And that would be an absolute disaster for a nation crying out for a rare piece of good news, as well as for the financial well-being of the Premier League.

Because if those 92 remaining games don’t get played, there’s the small matter of the broadcast fortunes which will have to be repaid to the TV companies.

Monday’s conference call spelled out in black and white the full cost of failing to complete the season.

And it made for eye-watering viewing for the anxious executives.

Even if the season is completed and all 47 games scheduled for live broadcast are screened, the clubs still have to pay back £375million in compensation for interrupting the schedules.

But if no more games are played and the season is scrapped, they’ll have to stump up £760m.

Having shelled out close to £250m on players’ wages since the last ball was kicked in anger nine weeks ago, there is no way clubs can afford to pay a full refund.

So if nothing else, that financial Sword of Damocles will focus a few minds when the Premier League bean counters reconvene next week.

Because in a world where sporting integrity comes a distant second to naked self-interest, it is money which will be talking the loudest of all.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for the latest news & updates

The Government has done its bit by clearing the way for professional sport to return behind closed doors in June — but supporters won’t be admitted until ‘significantly later’.

With the best will in the world, football probably won’t be able to start counting gate receipts again before the end of the year.

The Premier League clubs can either grasp the lifeline which has been thrown to them, or they can simply continue squabbling all the way to insolvency.

The choice seems to be an obvious one but we should never underestimate football’s ability to shoot itself in the foot.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk