UEFA are planning to finish the season in August and have shortened competitions next term so they avoid losing billions in TV money, according to reports.
An emergency working group at European football’s governing body are working on restructuring the decimated sporting calendar.
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Uefa want the football season to finish in August so they don’t lose billions in TV moneyCredit: EPA
The decision to postpone Euro 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic has already cost chiefs millions of pounds.
And The Times say that cancelling the season before it finishes “would cost both the European governing body and domestic competitions billions in lost TV revenue — £750 million for the Premier League alone.”
Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president, reckons it would be possible to wait until August to complete the existing competitions.
He told Italian paper La Repubblica: “There is the possibility of ending this season at the start of the next, which would then be delayed and begin later.”
And PFA chief Gordan Taylor has backed the plans.
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He said: “I don’t see why there should not be a flexible approach by everyone to finish this season in the proper manner no matter how long it takes.
“Domestically there is a lot of money at stake which would have a massive impact for the game — we’re talking about three-quarters of a billion pounds in TV money.”
Other radical proposals include banning Premier League stars from going home and forcing them to live together so football can kick off again in June.
That could see the squads of all 20 teams staying at separate locations — with no chance of going home to their families — until the season is finally over.
Keeping a team isolated as a unit would make it easier to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.
Players who have played at international tournaments would be used to the set-up, as they stay together in one hotel and only leave to train and play matches.
Talks on the financial impact of the virus are due to resume between Premier League, EFL and PFA bosses this week before a summit on Friday.
Meanwhile, in Italy, one of the country’s worst affected by coronavirus, chiefs could announce today that the current Serie A season is being cancelled.
Premier League to ‘restart in July’ and could be finished in just four weeks in hectic dash behind closed doors
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
