Coronavirus: How can the Premier League finish the season? There is no perfect solution

Options available to organisers are all controversial and could lead to costly legal challenges

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah (AFP via Getty Images)

The Premier League has been suspended until at least 4 April as a result of the spread of coronavirus, with the EFL, the Scottish Professional Football League, the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship also postponed.

The English top-flight had originally planned to proceed with a full round of fixtures this weekend in front of fans, declaring that much in a statement released on Thursday night, but that quickly changed.

After both Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for Covid-19, an emergency meeting was called for Friday morning and a decision was taken to postpone the next two rounds of fixtures.

The Premier League said that it intends to “reschedule the displaced fixtures”, with top-flight football pencilled in to return at the start of next month, but the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak has put the remainder of the season in jeopardy.

And unless professional football resumes by the start of next month, which appears unlikely despite Friday’s announcement, organisers could be forced to find another way to end the season. There is no perfect solution.

Declare league table to be final

One option is to end the season immediately, deciding title wins, European qualification, relegation and promotion from lower divisions according to the league tables as they currently stand.

But while Liverpool would presumably be happy to end the season and their 30-year wait for a league title with it, resistance would come from those in the relegation zone and others who would miss out on the opportunity to qualify for European competitions.

Ending the season immediately would also do nothing to solve the fact that some teams have played more than others. Aston Villa have a game in hand over their rivals at the bottom of the table and would rise out of the relegation zone with a win.​

Equally, Sheffield United have a game in hand over many of the contenders for a Champions League place. Both they and Villa would have serious grounds to legally challenge the Premier League’s decision and would not be the only club to consider taking such a step.

Move matches into the summer

With the European Championship in doubt, it has been suggested that the 2019-20 campaign could be concluded during the summer months if the tournament is cancelled, some time before the new season traditionally starts in August.

There are several complications with this approach. For one, the early qualifying rounds of Uefa’s European club competitions start in the summer, with participation decided by league finishes the previous season. They too would need to be postponed or changed, creating further scheduling problems down the line.

Any over-spill into summer could also prevent players from having a sufficient off-season break. Players are typically entitled to five weeks holiday, of which three can be consecutive. If the season were to run into July and resume again in August, they would risk burnout.

Players’ contracts also typically expire at the end of June, which could lead to a number of legal wranglings if the season extends beyond that time. For example, a player could miss out on a particular bonus if it was only achieved after their contract had expired.

But by far the biggest barrier to this plan is the likelihood that the coronavirus pandemic remains a major risk to public health throughout the summer and beyond. There are no guarantees that it will be any easier to play football then than it is now.

One-off play-offs have also been suggested to decide tight races for European spots and relegation, and has been considered as one of three options to resolve the suspended Serie A season, but these would encounter many of the same problems as above, not least whether they would be safe to play.

Void the season

A clean break and cancellation of the 2019-20 season could be the least complicated solution of all, if no less controversial. The Independent has learned of at least two Premier League clubs whose preference would be for the season to be voided entirely.

However, like declaring the current standings as final, this would still be open to costly legal challenges, not least because it would prevent Liverpool from winning their first league title in 30 years, Leeds from a long-awaited return to the top flight and Leicester from a Champions League spot.

In a message to supporters on Friday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he hoped “the authorities make decisions based on sound judgement and morality”. That was one sign of the resistance there will be against attempts to erase the record.

There is also the question of European qualification. Teams would most likely return to the competitions which they played in this season, though Manchester City are banned from playing in next season’s Champions League as it stands, further complicating matters.

The statements released by the Premier League, EFL and the Football Association all demonstrated a will to rearrange postponed fixtures and complete the current season rather than cancel it entirely.

But with the public health crisis only escalating, there is no obvious way forward for football’s authorities and nobody can tell how this situation will ultimately play out.