I believe that unless ALL the following criteria are met, then the 2019/20 must be null/voided:
1) all games must take place in the same time frame they were originally due to. Players must be given the time to recuperate between games. To do otherwise shows the integrity of the competition to be severely tarnished.
2) every Premier League team must have EXACTLY the same first team squad as it did when football stopped. If just one player from any team isn’t in the squad then it renders the competition as altered. Ie: if, for example, Willan/Vertongan etc decide not to play beyond their contract, then whoever Chelsea/Spurs etc play, it will be to the oppositions advantage thereby skewering the integrity of the games.
Chelsea’s Willian and others should still be with their squads.
3) All games MUST be with supporters in attendance. For three quarters of the season supporters have been in attendance. Those supporters had the opportunity to have a bearing on their team’s performance and possibly the result. To play behind closed doors for the remainder is a disadvantage to all teams but more to some and not others. Again this wrecks the integrity of the competition.
We have come to the business end of the season. To change any of the above in any way would in effect render the season as totally flawed. You cannot ask players to play three games a week for three weeks.. Some players can but some cannot.
Those who cannot could have played in all the games if the timescale was as originally set by the Premier League. Imagine an important player in a team going for glory or fighting relegation who is perhaps older and cannot play three games a week. That has a bearing on the results and thereby the league table.
And clubs/Uefa/FIFA cannot by law stop players from leaving their current club on 30th June so that alters the mix too.
In short, I think that if the season cannot be finished as it was set out originally with all the same players and the fans in attendance, then the integrity of the competition is gone.
Premier League and integrity in the same article. As welcome as Covid-19. The PL HAS no integrity, it is money money money. And given the big 6 are going to veto voiding the season, we are going to stay in limbo for weeks if not months. It is not beyond the realms of possibility for a PL club to go bust – then what? Do we void their results and then carry on? This is embarrassing beyond belief!
I agree Hugh.
The games remaining must be played in front of spectators and at the normal intervals they were going to be played at before this crisis.Seeing that wouldn’t happen for months just call it off now.
Imo there is no other way than making the season for health of all supporters players or anyone null and void. For once Karen Brady I agree with and sensible people who have and put health before profit should be banging the drum. Ludicrous ideas coming out from the dopes in FA ( And now I understand why they are called FA. ) PLAYING behind closed doors eh ! So does that mean all players wearing masks or maybe also have to pass the ball before the opposition come within 6ft ? And corners taken means nobody can mark another player nearer than 6ft as for sure that’s the government rules and won’t be restricted to everyone bar football players and rightly so. Just please end season talk about transfers when everyone is safe and start next season when like all sports should be the last thing on your mind about Sept if possible but that’s even being optimistic.
I sort of agree, but it will never happen like that …
This is essentially an act of god, well past the remit of anyone’s control. Given how it is, the season has to be a right off as the contractual issues and length of time elapsing the way it has would make it too sketchy and any teams going down would rightly feel hard done by. Saying that, what does it mean for who gets relegated and promoted? Leeds and West Brom deserve prem football based on this season and Norwich Deserve to wriggle back to the championship. Massive can of worms I think. Can’t see a season like it happening again in my lifetime
A totally logical senario to the season Hugh but I doubt the powers and money men will.see it in the same light
Why not cancel the 20/21 season and instead play the remainder of this seasons games over a 3 – 4 month period from September till Christmas with fanes in attendance. Then have a “Coronavirus Cup” competition to take up the reminder of the 20/21 season. This could be a champions league style competition with mini leagues followed by knock out stages. The mini leagues could include clubs from all 4 divisions to give the smaller clubs much needed revenue from having the opportunity to play premier league clubs. Football can then resume as normal from summer 2021. Seems like a straightforward solution to me.