Premier League clubs have rejected the idea of playing at neutral venues, while the English FA will not accept no relegations or the season being voided.
The Premier League held a shareholders’ meeting this afternoon after the UK government confirmed the season could resume from June 1, providing conditions to curb the spread of coronavirus were met.
Premier League clubs have rejected the idea of playing at neutral venues, while the English FA will not accept no relegations or the season being voided.
The Premier League held a shareholders’ meeting this afternoon after the UK government confirmed the season could resume from June 1, providing conditions to curb the spread of coronavirus were met.
Part of ‘Project Restart’ involved the possibility of the remaining fixtures being played at neutral venues, but PL chairman Richard Masters now accepts sides are unwilling to pursue that hypothesis.
“Everybody would prefer to play at home and away if at all possible, and it’s clear to see some clubs feel more strongly about that than others,” he said after the meeting, reports BBC Sport.
“We are in contact with the authorities and listening to that advice, while also representing club views in those discussions.
“Since Covid became an issue we’ve been talking to the authorities about the conditions in which we could get the Premier League back up and running and taking all that advice on board, but it is an ongoing dialogue.
“But all must be cognisant of what authorities are telling us, and we’ll continue with that consultation.
“[There’s a] strong desire to discuss everything in the round, and to agree a collective way forward. [There’s a] really strong collective will to complete the season remains.”
The Times and The Independent, meanwhile, reports FA chief Greg Clarke told all 20 Premier League teams that the governing body would not sanction the season ending without relegations or 2019-20 being scrapped definitively.
Masters admits a cancellation of the campaign cropped up in discussions but assures ‘it’s still our aim to finish the season’.
“It’s the first time we’ve discussed curtailment. It’s still our aim to finish the season obviously, but it’s important to discuss all of the options with our clubs.
“Obviously we won’t be playing until the middle of June. It doesn’t seem quite right to be talking about playing before we’ve taken a decision to return to the first stage of training.
“But in terms of how those matches will take place there’s a lot of water to pass under the bridge, and we’ll continue to assess the circumstances then.”
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