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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
John Cross

Brighton chairman Tony Bloom admits Premier League fears ahead of Friday meeting

Brighton chairman Tony Bloom admitted he fears the Premier League season might not finish.

Bloom insisted that playing the remaining games is still their No.1 priority but said there “does come a point” when it would not be possible.

At least nine Premier League clubs want to raise the prospect of finishing the season by June 30 at Friday’s meeting because of the fears over uncertainty of player contracts and commercial deals.

“We are used to having uncertainty in March and April about which league we are going to be in,” said Bloom.

“Not only have we got that uncertainty but we have no idea when games are going to be played, whether the season’s going to finish and the situation for players out of contract at the end of June.

“We would very much like the season to finish whenever it does but there does come a point when you can’t keep waiting.

Brighton owner Tony Bloom (Mike Hewitt)

"I don’t think June 30 is that point, that’s talked about because that’s when player contracts run out and it is difficult to play beyond that.

“But this situation is unique, it is unprecedented so every option should be looked at so I don’t think automatically we can say if we can’t finish before June 30 therefore the season must finish with the new season starting again in August.

“But I think every solution needs to be looked at. In the Premier League meetings, they look at different scenarios. We hear from Government on a regular basis and right now it’s not a time to make any definitive decision, although we’d like to for certainty.

“But at some point we have to make a decision and one of them is for player contracts and transfers for the new season plus a range of different operational things as well.”

The country remains on lockdown (Getty Images)

Friday’s meeting of the 20 clubs will focus more on HOW the season could restart rather than WHEN with league bosses likely to suggest that players could return to full training in May in accordance with lockdown guidelines to prepare to resume games in June.

They will also discuss a range of ideas of how to play out the remaining games including a hotel lockdown for players, games at neutral venues and cramming them all into a six week period with everyone long since resigned to playing behind closed doors.

However, they still will not be able to offer any concrete plans on dates and Brighton chief executive Paul Barber admitted that is causing “uncertainty” among the clubs.

When asked whether Brighton were one of the nine clubs, Barber did not say but added: “We ideally want the season to finish but we also want to make sure we don’t damage next season so there will come a point and I don’t know what that point is and we’l have to make a call at that point.

“I think there will be (a final point), it would be dishonest to say no but our priority remains completing this season but also the secondary thing to make sure we don’t damage next season and in order to achieve both objectives somewhere in the middle there’s going to be a point in which we have to accept it might not be possible.

“We’re not there yet, we still remain very optimistic but we’re also very aware of adding extra pressure to the Government or to the NHS by pushing too hard to play a sport that we all love but in the scheme of things is way down the list of priorities at the moment.

“We have to remain open minded and, even though it’s a bit of a cliche, no idea is a bad idea in a situation like this.

"One idea that might not be quite right might spark another that is.”

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