UEFA’s coefficient rankings could be used to decide finishing positions for the European places it has been revealed.
However, the governing bodies own rules state that qualification must be decided on ‘sporting merit’ which means that scenario cannot be used on its own in isolation so points per game (PPG) could be used.
If the Premier League was decided on PPG then the Hammers would finish in 16th place, the same spot they were in before the suspension of football.
It would result in Bournemouth, Norwich and Aston Villa all being relegated with Hammers surviving on goal difference despite having the same PPG of 0/93 as Bournemouth Watford and Aston Villa.
A report in the Guardian today suggests that football authorities are worried there are too many hurdles to finish the season in a reasonable timeframe and therefore another solution needs to be found to decide on final places without declaring the season null and void.