The Premier League are reportedly weighing up a plan which could see the current season resume in three months’ time on June 1 – and the 2020/21 campaign get underway in August.
As exclusively revealed by the Telegraph, any plan to get the professional game back underway in the country is more a case of ‘if’ than ‘when’ with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
UEFA’s cancellation of EURO 2020 affords its members the opportunity to play fixtures over the summer and end their domestic campaigns before the start of the 2020/21 professional season.
Earlier this week it was confirmed that football in England will be postponed until April 30, extending the previous suspension by over three weeks, but authorities are committed to making sure competitions will be completed.
Simply put: the Premier League are prepared to extend the season beyond June, when it normally is required to be concluded, to buy itself some time to reschedule fixtures.
Under the plan being ‘considered’, as reported by the Telegraph, there would be a six-week window to get the season finished up to around the second week of July, which would satisfy the requirements of broadcasters.
If the season could be completed in this time frame, it would give Premier League clubs four weeks to prepare before the beginning of the new season in August.
Whether or not supporters will be able to attend any rescheduled fixtures remains a question.