[Football] Premier League / Football League attempts to finish the season

[Gwylan]

Just finish it when they can - August / September?

Then have two weeks off, cancel FA Cup, League Cup, and a few international breaks next season to catch up.

Job done.

As I posted earlier: if we're to complete next season, we have to restart by 29 August (that's assuming your scenario of no FAC, LC and international breaks). In reality, we'd have to restart before that as I'm pretty sure teams won't accept the lack of breaks - my guess is that it would have to restart by 1 August to be more realistic.

The only way to stretch this would be to cancel the Euro championships - if that were to happen, there could be an extra month to play with.

 

[beorhthelm]

5live reported today that UEFA who have the overriding say on the timetable of european football, have no intention of making decisions on dates for future club tournaments, finals or in cancelling competitions. The intimation that all of 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 will be pushed back, if need be.

well cant be surprised UEFA offering zero leadership. eventually reality will hit them they're protracting problems for years, for the sake of this one season. national leagues will take their own decisions soon if UEFA dont.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Agreed.

And once we're through this current crisis football finances will be totally re-aligned. How many clubs will be willing to pay £50m for a player, and commit to paying him £100k a week for 3 years, when a potential 2nd wave (3rd ? 4th?) of this virus could potentially sweep in again at any given time in the future and completely wipe the game out.

It seemed like the bubble would never burst with football - but covid-19 has just arrived like an almighty great knitting needle to do exactly that.

I'm not sure this needs prove a 'total re-alignment'. All the protection the clubs need, as a safety net, against similar future global stoppages, is a universal contract clause, added to all (new) player contracts. Something agreed by FIFA / UEFA / PFA, etc that goes in every contract, stating that in the event of a complete shutdown of the game, outside the control of the parties involved, that the players wages drop to an agreed figure or %.

 

[Mr H]

Belgium 19/20 season finished

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52138270

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Belgium 19/20 season finished

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52138270

Another step towards ending ALL European leagues as they are.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Another step towards ending ALL European leagues as they are.

Quick check suggests all the teams have played the same amount of games

Not the case here

 

[schmunk]

Quick check suggests all the teams have played the same amount of games

Not the case here

Also, they only had 1 game of the season left to play, with Club Brugge 15 points clear at the top...

 

[Springal]

Also, they only had 1 game of the season left to play, with Club Brugge 15 points clear at the top...

Yeah but that doesn't mean anything, because they go into a mini league / play off thing for the actual title

 

[Simster]

As I posted earlier: if we're to complete next season, we have to restart by 29 August (that's assuming your scenario of no FAC, LC and international breaks). In reality, we'd have to restart before that as I'm pretty sure teams won't accept the lack of breaks - my guess is that it would have to restart by 1 August to be more realistic.

The only way to stretch this would be to cancel the Euro championships - if that were to happen, there could be an extra month to play with.

If that isn't possible until a month later, I think a full season could still be played - play the first 19 games, then split the league in 2 and play the return fixture only against the teams in your half of the league. This is how the Scotch monkey tennis league does things by default. Also, drop the league cup - it's shite and wouldn't be missed.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

UEFA and FIFA are dependent on their nations competitions for the vast majority of their revenue.
They lose money 3 out of 4 years and then make a fortune during the Euro and World cup years.

Surely there is no way these competitions will be scrapped, so the individual leagues don't miss out on one year of profit?

 

[Gwylan]

If that isn't possible until a month later, I think a full season could still be played - play the first 19 games, then split the league in 2 and play the return fixture only against the teams in your half of the league. This is how the Scotch monkey tennis league does things by default. Also, drop the league cup - it's shite and wouldn't be missed.

Yeah, that would work (although some teams could be playing odd numbers of games. (BTW, my calculation envisaged dropping the League and FA Cups).

The other thing they could do is reduce the PLto 18 teams by relegating three this season and only promoting one (or relegating two and not promoting one). That would give an extra couple of weeks to play with. It would be a tough one to sell though

 

[Change at Barnham]

Surely UEFA need to make a decision for all European football associations that will keep everyone coordinated and on the same timeline.

 

[Springal]

Surely UEFA need to make a decision for all European football associations that will keep everyone coordinated and on the same timeline.

Agreed. Take the ambiguity away and threats of legal actions against local leagues and let UEFA + FIFA make the decisions

 

[Easy 10]

I'm not sure this needs prove a 'total re-alignment'. All the protection the clubs need, as a safety net, against similar future global stoppages, is a universal contract clause, added to all (new) player contracts. Something agreed by FIFA / UEFA / PFA, etc that goes in every contract, stating that in the event of a complete shutdown of the game, outside the control of the parties involved, that the players wages drop to an agreed figure or %.

Well that in itself would be hugely radical.

As punters, we are not going to pay TV companies for a product when it is removed (I've already "suspended" my Sky Sports sub). So with this potential risk now built in, I think its unlikely that TV companies will commit to paying the mult--billions they have done in the past, and sponsors may similarly be more reticent in their financial commitment to the game - and THATS what has thus far driven and accommodated the eyeboggling wages the players at the top have been raking in for years.

I think Covid-19 is a gamechanger. Once we are over this, I think the financial landscape of football will change forever, at the top end particularly.

 

[beorhthelm]

I think Covid-19 is a gamechanger. Once we are over this, I think the financial landscape of football will change forever, at the top end particularly.

im doubtful it will be any meaningful change, some contract clauses, couple of rules, insurance will cover a future reoccurance.

 

[Easy 10]

im doubtful it will be any meaningful change, some contract clauses, couple of rules, insurance will cover a future reoccurance.

Do you think insurers will accomodate coronavirus clauses and expose themselves to that risk ? Major travel insurers have already refused to underwrite any Covid-19 claims since the pandemic spread, you can't buy a policy that will cover it now.

The sheer scale of the financial catastrophy this is now causing will have insurers running scared. It'd be like trying to get house insurance for a property that keeps getting flooded.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

If that isn't possible until a month later, I think a full season could still be played - play the first 19 games, then split the league in 2 and play the return fixture only against the teams in your half of the league. This is how the Scotch monkey tennis league does things by default. Also, drop the league cup - it's shite and wouldn't be missed.

That's the best suggestion I've seen so far. It would be a 28 game season by my reckoning so with the added 9 or 10 games left over from this season it would fit into the footprint of next season. Binning off the league cup would give some extra game weeks so you could even have a couple of weeks break between seasons. Get rid of a couple of the international breaks too and there should be plenty of time provided the league can get up and runnung by late august/early september. I like it!

 

[sparkie]

A new idea is now to play matches in China.

FFS.

China ?

How out of touch are the tossers that suggested this ?


They couldn't pick a worse location if they tried.


When this is all over there will be a big reckoning with China, and possible boycotting of Chinese goods. And quite rightly too.

 

[Springal]

When this is all over there will be a big reckoning with China, and possible boycotting of Chinese goods. And quite rightly too.

Good luck with that ;-)

 

[sparkie]

Good luck with that ;-)

A number of WW2 veterans boycotted Japanese/German goods all their lives.