Premier League to complete season without fans

Football season will be played out behind closed doors over a four to six week period starting in July, according to a leaked report.

The FA, Premier League, English Football League and the government had a conference call on Saturday, according to football.london and plans were laid out.

The paper appear to have leaked details of the plan which will see the 2019/20 season behind closed doors over a maximum six-week period.

The emphasis was apparently on completing the season and avoiding all the ramifications and potential law suits which may have emerged if the competitions were unfinished.

This schedule will take the teams more or less straight into the new season, which is scheduled to kick-off in August, but “there will be some allowances made to try and help players and clubs cope with what would essentially be an extended 2020/21 season”.

That could mean potentially scrapping the League Cup and EFL Trophy, while FA Cup replays could also be axed.

There would also be an issue with players’ contracts expiring on June 30, while incoming transfers such as Hakim Ziyech could potentially be available after already agreeing to join Chelsea on July 1.

Just what foundation the outlet’s claims are based on remains unclear, but it’s likely a board member has spoken to someone about the call in which some big decisions were made.

The football season in England has been suspended until April 30 at the earliest and a Premier League meeting this week offered no new solution to the coronavirus pandemic which has shaken the world.

The Premier League’s latest public update on Thursday offered no new timescale on the game reconvening and they admitted they face some “difficult decisions” in the coming weeks.

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A statement said: “The Premier League, EFL and PFA met today and discussed the growing seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was stressed that the thoughts of all three organisations continue to be with everyone affected by the virus.