Coronavirus: Premier League could be completed in a 40-day window

The Premier League clubs and the English FA continue to discuss the possibility of finishing the season, despite the coronavirus pandemic, which stopped the action in whole Europe.

According to a report in the BCC, there’s a possibility the season to be completed in a 40-day window. It’s being reported that this was one of the options which were discussed during a special meeting on Friday. There are 92 fixtures to be played, but at this moment, there’s no clear resolution on how this could actually happen.

According to some reports, the clubs were discussing a June 30 deadline for finishing the season. But there are some other options as well, the BCC reports. We remind you that the season got suspended on March 13 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the Premier League officials said to the press that the clubs and the FA are currently working on some “complex planning scenarios.” At this moment, 16 of the Premier League clubs have nine games still to play, while the other four have ten games remaining in their schedules.

Earlier in the month, The Premier League made a strong statement that the action would be restarted “only when it’s completely safe.” The situation in the United Kingdom is still complicated because of the country struggling to contain the spread of the virus. Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself went through the emergency room because of COVID-19. On Thursday, the British government announced a further three-week lockdown, trying to contain the virus as much as they can.

At this moment, the FA and the Premier League clubs can discuss possible ways to finish the season, but nothing could happen without a green light from the government. Belarus remains the only European country where they still play football, despite the coronavirus situation.

The English clubs are not just losing a lot of money because of the situation, but they could face another problematic situation soon. Many players’ contracts are expiring on June 30. This means that the clubs could be obliged to finish the campaign without some of their stars. It’s believed that the world governing body FIFA is looking for a way to deal with this case. It’s believed that there could be some rolling contract extensions, so these players with expiring contracts could finish the season.

UEFA is also expected to make some proposals regarding the situation. The organization’s leaders will have a conversation next week, and we expect them to offer some solutions as well. The eventual completion of the Champions League season is one of the main topics that are going to be discussed.

Meanwhile, in Germany, they are already making some progress. The players there are back to training, but under some exceptional circumstances – the players are training in small groups, getting changed, and showering at home. In Italy, they plan to start testing the players for coronavirus at the beginning of May, while in Spain, they could restart the season on May 28. In France, they talk about kicking off the season again in June.