The Premier League will discuss this week the possibility of football returning at the end of May with a target date of July 12 for the end of the season.

General view of the match ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on March 07, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 07: General view of the match ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on March 07, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images)

The Premier League will hold a meeting this week to discuss how they finish the 19/20 season which has been suspended since not long after Mikel Arteta contracted Covid-19.

It seems unlikely, however, that this is a plan that will go ahead, no matter how much money you are waiting on winning from Judi Bola online should Liverpool finally be crowned Champions.

200331 daily mail premier league restart start of may
Daily Mail 31 March 2020

The Daily Mail article above states, “The Premier League are working on an ambitious plan to restart the season behind closed doors on the first weekend of May with a scheduled finish date of Sunday July 12.

“The proposals, which will be discussed in detail on a conference call of the 20 clubs on Friday, would need to be endorsed by the Government, public health bodies and the PFA. But they are seen as the best way to mitigate the financial losses and potential legal threats caused by the coronavirus shutdown.

“The Premier League’s best-case scenario of a May resumption stems largely from their obligations to and financial reliance on broadcasters, who have a watertight £3billion-a-year deal which expires on July 31, with next season’s deal kicking in the following day. It is understood that under the terms of the TV contracts the cut-off point to finish this season is July 16, and if the campaign is not completed by that date Sky Sports, BT Sport and the international rights-holders could demand rebates totalling as much as £762million.

Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal which was given by VAR during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on March 07, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 07: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal which was given by VAR during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on March 07, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“The broadcasters are pushing the Premier League to provide clarity as soon as possible, as they are losing subscribers at a rapid rate and want to know when they can expect their schedules to return to normal. During informal talks between club executives over the last few days, July 12 has emerged as the optimum finish date, and a restart at the beginning of May would build in the potential for more down-time if individual clubs are hit by more cases of the virus.

“It remains unclear whether such a timetable is realistic, however, given that the deputy chief medical officer Jenny harries warned on Sunday that the country could remain in varying degrees of lockdown for up to six months. A restart in May is seen as vital as that is when the clubs are due to receive their final tranche of television money for the season, without which many will struggle to pay the players’ wages.

“The £762m of combined income under threat is not divided equally and would range from £57m for the Premier League winners to £20m for the team who finish bottom. Ironically, the bigger clubs stand to lose more than usual this season if those payments are withheld following last year’s changes to the distribution of the overseas television deal, which, unlike the domestic deal, is no longer divided equally but determined by league position.

“The Premier League are aware of the challenges they face in completing the season but until they are told otherwise by the Government that remains their intention. Having suspended the season twice until April 4 and then April 30 they do not want to announce a further delay. The clubs are also conscious that there may have to be changes in order to finish the season. One of the main topics of conversation between executives recently has been about waiving the rules regarding weakened teams.

“A number of solutions have been mentioned, including increasing squad sizes from 25 to 29 to enable them to cope with more absences due to illness. One club also raised the question of whether they would be permitted to field a youth team. A more radical idea has been completing the season without promotion and relegation on the grounds that the integrity of the competition is threatened, and there is also no guarantee that the EFL campaign will be completed. Clubs at the top of the Championship have begun making preparations to take legal action if they are denied promotion, although if the competition is not completed that would weaken their case. The Premier League will continue to liaise with the Government, who have indicated that they are eager for football to resume in some form as soon as it is not considered a public risk and a drain on resources. If given the goahead, matches would be staged with a skeleton broadcasting crew, minimal security and no media, although an ambulance presence would be required at the stadium.

“One of the problems the league will face is convincing players to return to action after it emerged that they are not insured for coronavirus as it is not listed as a critical illness. A number have sought clarification but are being advised they are not covered. Many players forgo critical illness cover because it can cost £5,000 per year. But Sportsmail knows of a number who have improved their policies since the outbreak.”

With football suspended across the globe, nobody really knows how it is all going to play out because these are unprecedented times for us 21st century humans. FIFA, UEFA, The FA, Premier League and all the rest are urgently trying to come up with a solution to a problem they can’t yet get their heads around fully. No-one seems to be able to.

Last Thursday, EFL clubs were informed by memo that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it will be impossible to return to playing next month.

The memo to clubs, also reportedly seen by Sportsmail, stated that the EFL board met on Wednesday and “it would now appear that recommencing professional football on 30 April is not going to happen and, following further dialogue with the Premier league next week, we will provide further information.”

In order to complete the rest of the season, broadcasters could end up showing all Saturday 3pm kick-offs live in the UK if they are required to be played behind-closed-doors, which seems the likeliest way of finishing up the season.

FIFA are also said to be considering moving the dates of the transfer window as well as allowing players and clubs to extend contracts that expire this summer, as they recognise the pandemic crippling the globe as a ‘force majeure’. Sports lawyers, however, have argued this won’t work in England where employees cannot be forced to work against their will.

At present, however, with no idea how this pandemic will play out, it is all but impossible to make any concrete decisions.