Premier League suspends 2019/20 season indefinitely over COVID-19 pandemic
After Friday’s meeting between club officials and the league, the Premier League has decided to suspend the 2019/20 season indefinitely. There has been no football action in England’s top tier since early March but the statement released by the League has confirmed that the season will be finished.
With nine games left in the Premier League season, a large majority of the top flight teams want the season to be finished before they start anything new. That is mainly because the race for the top four is tightly contested by five sides excluding Leicester City and Chelsea, with the battle against relegation also in the mix. Furthermore, with no end to the COVID-19 pandemic many believed that the April 30th deadline couldn’t be meet with reports fearing that it would be extended.
That has now been confirmed by various reports from across the UK, and the Independent has reported that the Premier League has been suspended indefinitely. The report further indicated that the decision was taken after Friday’s meeting between club and league officials with a statement released by the league that stressed on the fact that the season will be finished. However, it also added that the FA Cup and all other domestic cups fall under that category.
“It was acknowledged [at the meeting] that the Premier League will not resume at the beginning of May – and that the 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so. The restart date is under constant review with all stakeholders, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic develops and we work together through this very challenging time,” the statement read.
“With this, there is a combined objective for all remaining domestic league and cup matches to be played, enabling us to maintain the integrity of each competition. However, any return to play will only be with the full support of Government and when medical guidance allows.”