PREMIER LEAGUE football has been cancelled until April 30 at the earliest due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis – so will Liverpool still win the title?
Football chiefs have ordered a break of nearly two months with the pandemic worsening and sporting events being cancelled worldwide.
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Premier League football has been cancelled until April 3 at the earliestCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Liverpool’s impending Premier League title victory has been put on hold for nowCredit: Reuters
But what does this mean for the top-flight? Will the season be finished? Will Liverpool still be crowned champions?
Here’s what we know at this stage.
What’s happening with the Premier League?
The Premier League has been suspended until April 30 at the earliest.
That postponement could and likely will be extended depending on government advice and the spread of the virus.
Right now we are in the second of three-week lockdown measures across the UK, which looks like it will be extended.
Reports suggest we might not see Premier League action again until JULY, at which point the season will be played behind closed doors within just four weeks.
While UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has suggested that if the Premier League is not back up and running by June then the entire season could be “lost”.
At this point, clubs remain determined to finish the season (whenever that may be) and allow European places, promotion and relegation spots to come to a natural conclusion.
But ultimately that decision may be taken out of their hands.
Would Liverpool be crowned champions if the season is cancelled?
Simply put, nobody knows.
UEFA chief Ceferin suggested Liverpool would not be crowned champions if the league is cancelled due to coronavirus.
“I’ve saw and heard some again fake news that Uefa will advise leagues to finish the championships now and decide that the winners are the ones who are number one now.
“I can say that it’s not true.
“Our goal is to finish the leagues and we didn’t recommend anything like that to any association or league.”
However, the final decision will be made by the Premier League’s board – interim chair Claudia Arney, chief executive Richard Masters and director Kevin Beeston.
They will consult with all 20 clubs but the final decision will rest with the board.
What will happen to the fixtures between now and April 30?
As it stands, all Premier League, Football League and FA Cup fixtures between now and April 30 are postponed and will be rearranged at a later date.
When that date will be depends on when it’s decreed safe to start playing football again. Again, nobody knows just when that will be at the moment.
What about the Champions League, Europa League and Euros?
The Champions League and Europa League are on hold with their respective finals now postponed indefinitely.
There is also the possibility that to ease fixture congestion, the semi-finals and finals could be played as one tournament at the venue where the finals are scheduled to be played.
Euro 2020 has been postponed by a year until the summer of 2021.
Could the season be cancelled altogether?
It’s a distinct possibility but the fact remains that right now nobody knows for sure.
The Athletic have suggested there is a “growing appetite” amongst some Premier League clubs for a cancellation.
Their source is quoted as saying: “You look at the people sitting around the Premier League table by Skype; their egos cannot sustain a mirror being held up to them.
“The fact is they are not as important as a Tesco delivery driver at this time. We run a game. No more, no less. There is no place for sport at the moment.”
And during crisis talks on March 27, Prem bosses admitted that “difficult decisions will need to be made” about what to do with the rest of the season.
Will anybody be promoted or relegated?
Ideally, the season will be finished in the summer with promotion and relegation spots decided.
If not, there could be all kinds of legal action and lawsuits from teams with millions of pounds on the line.
There will be no football in England until April 3 at the earliestCredit: PA:Press Association
Might next season be delayed?
It’s a possibility. One option could be to extend this season to allow it to play out to a natural conclusion and then restructure next season.
European football might not even exist next season if the campaigns can’t be completed.
Martin Keown says the Premier League must finish the season after the suspension
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
