All 20 Premier League clubs – and especially Liverpool – are expected to express a ‘determination’ to finish the current season during Thursday’s emergency board meeting.
Representatives of each side are scheduled for a conference call at 10.30am to discuss their options during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Measures around social distancing mean no clubs will be present in person for the meeting.
Games have been suspended until at least April 3 but further postponements are likely as the situation continues to develop and worsen.
UEFA’s gathering of football stakeholders on Tuesday ended with an outline commitment to completing domestic competitions across Europe by June 30, and the decision to postpone Euro 2020 to the summer of 2021 has given competition organisers like the Premier League greater wriggle room.
Both the BBC and The Guardian repeat the same line about the ‘determination’ of clubs to finish the season if at all possible. The latter describe a ‘strong collective’ belief that the campaign must reach its conclusion.
The BBC suggest that ‘officials are open to the idea of staging matches behind closed doors’ to do so, while quoting a source as saying that “nothing concrete” will come from an “information-sharing and clarity meeting”.
The Guardian’s insider says ‘clubs did not discuss…how to decide finishing places if the season is not completed’ at the emergency meeting last week.
They should read this.
Also, Karren Brady was apparently ‘not alone in considering that the clearest solution’ was to declare the campaign null and void if it cannot be finished.
Poor Liverpool.
There is still some football taking place, with the Belarussian Premier League kicking off this week. Stick on a bet with Bet365 and you can actually watch it and get your fix. We fancy BATE Barisov.