The Premier League season remains halted as the coronavirus pandemic grips the sporting world and there is still no official date for its resumption.
Top-flight clubs have a combined 92 matches left to play in the 2019/20 campaign and there is plenty still to be decided.
While Liverpool are on the verge of clinching the title – just two wins away from glory – the relegation battle and the race for the European places are still wide open.
The ongoing issues surrounding coronavirus has meant the Premier League has been put on hold and there are many questions up in the air.
– How long has the Premier League been suspended for?
Manchester City vs Arsenal was the first Premier League fixture to be postponed on Wednesday, March 11.
The following weekend’s top-flight matches were subsequently called off and there has been no action since then.
EFL matches, the FA Cup quarter-finals, Champions League and Europa League games and international fixtures have also been pushed back.
Euro 2020 has been rescheduled for next summer to give domestic leagues the chance to get their seasons finished if possible.
– When is the Premier League likely to resume?
The government have given the green light for football to go ahead behind closed doors, but not before June 1.
‘Project Restart’ – as clubs have branded their proposal to get the season back under way – initially was working towards a return to action on the weekend of June 12.
However, the target date for a return is now set to be put back at least a week until June 19 after talks between players, managers and medical experts on Wednesday, May 13.
Managers expressed concerns around having enough time to prepare players for games following the long break, while issues around safety protocols were raised.
The Premier League will now hold another meeting between clubs next Monday, where it understood they will decide to push back their target start date.
UK Government’s coronavirus recovery strategy confirms no professional sport in England until June when it may return behind closed doors
– Will the Premier League season be voided?
That looks highly unlikely as things stand. The league are desperate to play the remaining games as the cost of cancelling it could be up to £1billion, according to chief executive Richard Masters.
Sky, BT and overseas rights holders have already paid the Premier League for their full season’s broadcast rights, despite a quarter of the campaign left to play.
So scrapping the campaign will mean broadcasters will look to recoup millions.
The Premier League insist no clubs have been asking for the curtailment of the season with all 20 teams hoping to play the 2019/20 campaign to completion.
– What could happen to the Premier League season?
One proposal has been to play all remaining matches at neutral venues, though it is understood this will no longer be the case.
After positive talks with police and the government, it has been decided that clubs can host games at their usual stadiums as long as they pay the increased policing and stewarding costs.
The ‘Project Restart’ proposal would see all the remaining matches completed in a seven-week period, with FA Cup games also played in that timeframe.
This would allow players to have a short time off before returning for pre-season ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
– What has the government said?
The government’s road map for leaving lockdown, published on Monday, May 11, confirmed sport may be able to resume in June as long as it takes place behind closed doors.
Step two of the road map, which cannot begin any earlier than June 1, includes ‘permitting cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed-doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact’.
This will only be possible though if sufficient progress is made in limiting the spread of the virus between now and then, but the document entitled ‘Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy’ says that ‘organisations should plan accordingly’.
– What are the problems?
Premier League club doctors have expressed their concern over plans to resume with senior medical professionals seeking assurances relating to the safety of all involved in football.
Medics have put together a 100-point letter to the Premier League’s medical advisor Mark Gillett and director of football Richard Garlick listing potential problems with resuming the season during the coronavirus pandemic.
A number of top-flight clubs are already back in training, with social-distancing enforced, and there are concerns some are already breaching social distancing guidelines.
Other issues raised include approving guidelines which still carry the threat of death, liability, testing and insurance, transmission of the virus via sweat and goalkeeper gloves, an increased risk to BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) employees, and the ability of emergency services to attend training ground incidents.
Shaun Wright-Phillips defends Danny Rose’s stance around Premier League’s resumption
Players have also expressed their concern over resuming matches, with Danny Rose, the Tottenham defender on loan at Newcastle, a key critic.
He said of the ‘Project Restart’ proposal: “It’s a f***ing joke, I’m not even going to lie. The government is saying bring football back because it’s going to boost the nation’s morale, I don’t give a f*** about the nation’s morale.
“People’s lives are at risk, you know what I mean? Football shouldn’t even be spoken about coming back until the numbers have dropped massively. It’s b*******.”
