The
Premier League has been left in limbo after the postponement of the campaign
until April 4 at the earliest as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Officials from all 20 clubs will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to
establish plans for the remainder of the season, with one senior source at a
Premier League club telling Sky Sports there is a 75 per cent chance this
season will not be completed.
Premier League officials have been gathering expert medical advice and will
put forward several options to all 20 clubs, with detailed financial and
sporting implications.
So, as the clubs try to plot a way forward, what might some of the options
be?
Declare the season null and void
The most drastic option. In effect, the entire season so far - approximately
three-quarters of an entire campaign - would be wiped from the record books.
This would rule out a title winner, qualification for Europe, relegation and
so forth - and the new 2020/21 would begin from scratch.
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has discussed this option, writing in
The Sun:
"There is no dodging the possibility that all levels in the EFL, as well as
the Premier League, will have to be cancelled and this season declared null
and void because if the players can't play, the games can't go ahead.
"So what if the league cannot be finished? As games in both the PL and in
the EFL are affected, the only fair and reasonable thing to do is declare
the whole season null and void."
Declare the season null and void - but
crown Liverpool champions
The most glaring issue with the 'null and void' option is the obvious
unfairness to Liverpool, 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League
and champions in almost all-but name.
Could the Premier League vote for Liverpool to be crowned champions? Would
any club vote against such a motion? It's fascinating to speculate on, but
impossible to know. Still, it's worth noting that even Brady acknowledged
that denying Liverpool the title would be 'robbery'.
But where do you draw the line? Making an exception just for Liverpool would
incense many supporters. Manchester City still have to host Liverpool, who
have previous of allowing league titles to slip away.
If this "inarguable" case - as The Anfield Wrap's Neil Atkinson put forward
on Sky Sports News - was applied to further down the footballing pyramid,
should West Brom, just six points clear of Fulham with nine games to play,
be granted promotion to the top flight?
The Premier League will want any decision on the league's next steps to be
agreed unanimously - as was this week's decision to suspend the season until
April 3.
But if disagreements do persist, two-thirds of clubs - 14 - are required to
agree to any constitutional change.
Could the current league table be used to
finalise the title, CL places and relegation?
In theory, yes. But while Liverpool have been considered champions in
waiting for some time, nothing else in the league - from relegation to
qualification for Europe and even the Golden Boot - comes close to being
conclusive.
To relegate Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich after only 29 matchdays
would undoubtedly be considered unfair. But it would be especially harsh on
Villa given they have played 28 games and are just two points off Watford in
17th.
Could a final table be extrapolated by an average number of points?
Again, in theory yes, but the crux of any league season is that every club
plays every other club twice. Using the current league table from 28 or 29
games to declare the final league table would be a leap too far for many.
Aston Villa supporter Dan Bardell from the 1874 Podcast told Sky Sports: "I
don't see how they can just relegate the sides currently in the bottom
three.
"Everyone needs to be on an even keel, everyone needs to have played the
same amount of games. If we were to win that game in hand, we'd go out of
the relegation zone. There's still 92 games to be played overall. There's
still so many left."
Could the new Premier League season start
with 22 clubs?
It's an idea seemingly gaining traction with reports on Saturday morning
suggesting that the new Premier League season could start with 22 clubs,
promoting Leeds and West Brom to the current crop of 20.
Such a response would require a substantial reworking of the calendar,
perhaps necessitating an earlier start or even the remodelling of the FA Cup
and Carabao Cup.
Allowing for the two sides currently occupying the automatic promotion
places in the Sky Bet Championship to go up would rankle with those
currently in the play-off zone, and indeed those clubs who still feel that
given their remaining fixtures they can still gatecrash the party, as seen
on so many previous occasions.
It would also have a knock-on effect on the number of sides promoted from
Sky Bet League One, and so on.
How likely is it that the season will
resume at the start of April?
That's the million-dollar question. But by next Thursday, the clubs will
know more about the government's plans to ban mass gatherings, including
football fixtures, and there should be a clearer understanding of the
direction of travel following UEFA's emergency meeting on Tuesday about
whether this summer's European Championships will be delayed.
When could the season be extended until?
If Euro 2020 is delayed by a year then it would open up the possibility of
the current Premier League season being extended int the summer. But the
scheduled Euro 2020 final date of July 12 could be used as a marker for the
end of the domestic season in Europe too.
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