DOHA: Football leagues across Europe have been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Premier League clubs met on Friday to discuss possible models for finishing the season but all options remained hypothetical after the UK government extended lockdown restrictions for another three weeks.
No relegation if no more Premier League play, says Brighton owner Tony Bloom.
We take a look at the possibilities of a restart from England to Italy.
ENGLAND
The Premier League said that wrapping up the remaining 92 fixtures remains their goal, but the ongoing COVID-19 crisis means no fixed schedule can be drawn up yet.
With most clubs having nine games left, it was reported that Friday’s meeting of the 20 clubs discussed finishing the season in a 40-day window.
There have been claims that clubs were told domestic seasons must end by July 31 and the 2020-21 campaign must start by the first week of September at the latest.
The UK’s lockdown is in place until May 7 at the earliest.
SPAIN
La Liga chief Javier Tebas last week said play could restart as early as next month, although a two-week extension of the nationwide lockdown until May 9 announced Saturday appears to have scuppered those plans.
Tebas said no team training could take place until after the state of emergency ends in Spain, but he was adamant “it is not an option” to cancel the season given the massive hit to revenue Spain’s top clubs would have to absorb. He estimated cancellation would cost teams around a billion euros ($1.08 billion).
May 28-29, June 6-7 and June 28-29 were the three dates Tebas cited for a potential return to competition.
ITALY
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said club matches could resume “in late May, early June”, saying those advocating cancellation of the season “do not like football, or Italians”.
The president of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina, said it would take three weeks to prepare after the end of the coronavirus lockdown in the country, currently scheduled for May 4.
“There will be a monitoring period to guarantee that all those taking part are free of the virus. If they are all negative, there is no problem of distancing or contagion,” said Gravina.
GERMANY
The German Football League (DFL) will hold a video conference on April 23 with the 36 clubs in the top two divisions to discuss whether matches can resume in early May, albeit without fans.
Large-scale public events have been banned in Germany until August 31, but one proposal is for games to be played behind closed doors without spectators, with clubs testing their players, coaches and backroom staff every three to four days.
FRANCE
The French league (LFP) is targeting starting next season on August 23 but remains intent on completing the current campaign first. There are 10 rounds of games remaining in Ligue 1.
But the clubs are making plans to resume playing and finish the current season by late July despite an extension of the country’s coronavirus lockdown until May 11.
Teams will not be able to train before the lockdown ends, but the best-case scenario would see matches resuming in June behind closed doors.
