So the Coronavirus nightmare rumbles on, football is suspended and any hope of a restart is still up in the air. It would be a crying shame if Liverpool are denied the chance to complete their remaining games and complete what would probably be a record breaking title triumph. Even if they are awarded the title in the case that the season is finished prematurely, which we believe is likely after UEFA declared that qualification for their competitions should be based on ‘sporting merit’, it would still be a real shame that all games couldn’t be completed.
So what’s the latest?
Well, the bad news is that the Dutch season has been null and voided setting a precedent for what would be a nightmare in the UK and for Liverpool – one which I believe would cause major divisions and drive many fans away from the game.
There is mixed news from France were the government banned football until September leading to the ending of the season in France. The French have, however, awarded the title to PSG and have awarded Champions League places etc. Another precedent!
All is far from lost though as the UK government want elite sports to resume in the country and have started planning to that end. The new Culture Minister, Oliver Dowden tweeted on Friday;
Dowden heads up a team set up to plan for the return of elite sports (Project Restart) and the noises coming from the government are certainly very encouraging – they want football back!
During the Premier League’s bi-weekly meeting today, all 20 clubs reiterated their commitment to see the season concluded when it is safe to do so. The League said in a statement that any return to training would have to be with government guidance.
It seems that every effort will be made to get the season finished but a lot will depend on the virus and how it and efforts to tackle it progress over the next few weeks and months. Either the season will be completed behind closed doors and, almost certainly, in neutral stadiums, or the League will finish with some way of determining Champions, relegated, promoted and teams that qualify for Europe. For us, null and void is still hugely unlikely.
