There is growing sentiment that the coronavirus pandemic will see the abrupt termination of this year’s football season.
Today Fifa’s chief doctor, Michel d’Hooghe, warned against restarting the interrupted 2019/20 campaign and in France it was announced that the Ligue 1 season would not resume. While d’Hooghe suggested teams and governing bodies focus their attention on preparing for next season, there is understandable reluctance to do so.
The season was about to reach its climax. It would be too harsh on teams who were winning their respective leagues, such as Liverpool, to write off the title or forever have an asterisk by their name. Likewise, it would be unfair for teams currently in the relegation zone by goal difference, such as Bournemouth, to be relegated. Affected teams will never forget the impact such a decision could have. Some may even be forced out of business.
Even if next season has to be contracted to only include one game between each team, held in a neutral venue, that at least is better than leaving a season unfinished. Fans, players and managers need closure. The majority will accept the format of next season may need to change as a consequence of playing the remaining fixtures of the current one. Doing so gives struggling clubs a fighting chance of staying up and would allow champions to be crowned without caveat.
Of course, a contracted season would have serious financial implications for clubs, but it would at least remove the potential legal fees that would mount up in protest of the season being cut short.
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