Liverpool ‘set to be given Premier League title’ if season is ended now due to coronavirus

Drastic action is set to be taken if the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) ends the Premier League season completely, though Liverpool are reportedly set to be confirmed as champions.

Following the postponement of the campaign, till April 3 at the very least, big questions are now being asked regarding the possibility of being unable to conclude the English football calendar.

In bold and controversial plans, five teams could be relegated from the top flight and the EFL Cup axed completely in order to facilitate football when it resumes, as report the Telegraph.

If Government projections over the spread of the virus prove correct, the football season would be pushed back to unexpected lengths, while there is is no regulation governing what happens if the 2019-20 campaign is cancelled outright.

So far there have been 798 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 11 dead in the United Kingdom. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi have tested positive, though each are on the road to full recovery.

League leaders Liverpool are 25 points clear of their rivals Manchester City in second, and two more victories for the Jurgen Klopp’s men will give them the title. It is reported that no objection will come from fellow teams in the division to deny the Merseyside club their crown.

Liverpool are on the brink of ending their title wait and hold the biggest points gap in Europe

At the bottom end of the division, however, along with promotion up from the Championship, the waters become much more murky and contentious calls may have to be made.

It is reported that one proposal which may be placed on the table would be for the top two in the Championship, currently Leeds and West Brom, to be promoted and for 22 teams to compete in next season’s Premier League. 

The EFL Cup would hypothetically be postponed for one year to allow extra space in the fixture list and five clubs, instead of three, would be relegated at the end of the season.

Agreements would have to be made across the leagues, along with the governing footballing bodies, in order for proposals to be rubber-stamped.

The next matter would then be to address the Champions League. The competition itself falls under the jurisdiction of UEFA, though steps would have to be put in place in order to determine the qualification process for the next edition.

A reported idea suggests each of the English side who qualified for this season’s tournament would keep their places next season, while any additional sides currently making up the contention spots – including Leicester City, Manchester United and Wolves – would enter an extended qualifying phase.

FA chairman Greg Clarke has personally told Premier League chiefs that he believes the domestic season will not be completed due to the outbreak.

Clarke was in attendance at Friday morning’s emergency meeting as the Premier League, EFL and the Women’s Super League were suspended until April 3 in response to the worrying growth of coronavirus cases in the game. 

FA chief Greg Clarke has warned the Premier League that the season may be incomplete

As reported by Sportsmail, Premier League clubs may even refuse to play when the season is due to resume next month because of widespread concerns about their players’ fitness and the integrity of the competition.

Executives at several Premier League clubs have flagged a number of issues to Sportsmail, which they say may be enough to prevent football returning next month, even if public events remain permitted by the government. Their concerns include:

• The risk of more players contracting coronavirus during the shutdown given that personnel at seven clubs have already been infected – Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester City, Bournemouth, Manchester City, West Ham, Brighton and Everton.
• The need to protect the integrity of the competition by ensuring that all clubs return to action at the same time, which will be impossible there are more positive tests over the next three weeks.
• The fact that there are 69 Premier League players out of contract on June 30, which raises further issues over sporting integrity if they have signed deals to move to other clubs.