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Regular-article-logo Saturday, 04 May 2024

EPL clubs talk, mum on date

Representatives of 20 teams took part in a conference call to look at various possible options for restarting the season

Reuters Manchester Published 17.04.20, 09:34 PM
A man walks past the closed Manchester United stadium, Old Trafford, in Manchester, northern England, as the English Premier League football season has been suspended due to coronavirus

A man walks past the closed Manchester United stadium, Old Trafford, in Manchester, northern England, as the English Premier League football season has been suspended due to coronavirus (AP)

Premier League clubs on Friday discussed possible models for finishing the current season but did not consider a specific date for play to resume while the UK government lockdown restrictions remain in place.

Representatives of the 20 teams took part in a conference call to look at various possible options for restarting the season and remain committed to completing the fixtures rather than voiding the season.

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But after the government announced on Thursday that the lockdown would remain in place for at least another three weeks, all options remain hypothetical.

A Premier League spokesperson said: “Today’s Shareholders’ Meeting provided an opportunity to discuss possible scheduling models. It remains our objective to complete the 2019-20 season but at this stage all dates are tentative while the impact of Covid-19 develops.

“We are actively engaging with stakeholders, including broadcast partners, and our aim is to ensure we are in a position to resume playing when it is safe to do so and with the full support of the Government.”

There was no discussion during the meeting of the possible complications that could be caused by the season running beyond June 30 — when some player and manager contracts run out.

World soccer’s governing body Fifa has stated that contracts should be adjusted to reflect the actual end of the season. However, that issue could be open to challenge under English law.

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