The FA Cup final will be played on 8 August if we enter a parallel universe in which the UK gets to grips with what is really going on in the country.

According to an exclusive in the Mail on Sunday, the FA Cup final date has been ‘penciled in’ for August 8, with a midweek fixture date of August 5 ‘also under consideration’.

The FA are said to be in a ‘perilous’ position when it comes to their finances with the cancellation of Euro 2020 and all summer events that were due to take place at Wembley this summer, a ground they vastly overspent on when building.

With major leagues around Europe now being cancelled and the Bundesliga, who were hoping to be the first major league to restart, suffering a blow this week to their plans, it seems somewhat fanciful thinking to imagine that the FA Cup, out of all competitions, will be played to a finish.

Then again, maybe the magic of the cup will manage something no-one else in world sport seems to be able to do.

Arsenal are, of course, the most successful team in the competition’s history and should be confident of reaching at least the semi-final, should the competition return.