LEEDS and West Brom WILL be promoted back to the Premier League should the Championship season be scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Whites and the Baggies – sitting in the top two positions in English football’s second tier – had feared that their dreams of returning to the top-flight could be scuppered.
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Leeds and West Brom have been handed a boost in their quest to be promoted
But the EFL have released a statement saying the season will be decided using the unweighted points-per-game system if the campaign is called off.
And they still plan to hold play-offs should it be declared as safe to do so.
Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Preston currently occupy the play-off positions.
Football League big-wigs released drafted proposals and will now allow each division – the Championship, Leagues One and Two – to decide whether to play the remaining games of the season or to call time on it now.
The EFL will invite clubs to vote on what course of action to take and require a simple majority to activate a curtailment of the season.
League chiefs have proposed that final placings in such a scenario should be determined on unweighted points per game.
They also want promotion and relegation to be retained and that play-offs should not be extended beyond its current four teams.
If play-offs cannot be played, the EFL board will then determine the appropriate course of action.
In its proposal, it stated: “The principle of relegation across all three divisions is integral to the integrity of the pyramid, from the Premier League down to the National League, provided we have assurances that the National League will start the 2020/21 so the relegated League Two side will have somewhere to play.”
EFL chair Rick Parry said: “In the event a divisional decision is made to curtail the 2019/20 season, the EFL Board is recommending the League adopts the original framework with the amendments as identified, as there is a strong desire to remain as faithful as possible to the regulations and ensure there is consistency in the approach adopted across the EFL in all divisions.
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“The board has always acknowledged that a single solution to satisfy all clubs would always be hard to find, but we are at the point now where strong, definitive action is need for the good of the League and its members.”
The new regulations still have to be voted on by all 71 current EFL clubs.
And the EFL will need confirmation that the Premier League will apply relegation via the same points-per-game system if it also cannot finish the season.
Simon Jordan outlines his plan for a fairer future for the Premier League and EFL
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
