FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said it would be irresponsible for football to return while there is even the slightest risk to life.
Football authorities across the world are busy planning for when it will be safe for matches to resume as they attempt to complete the 2019/20 campaign and limit the disruption caused by the suspension of football as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The different impact of the virus in different countries means there is no planned uniform restart. The Bundesliga, for instance, is expecting matches again by early May with the season to be concluded by June. The Premier League has not set a date but the English Football League has written to clubs advising no training before May 16 at the earliest with a view towards resuming games in mid-June and predicts it will need nearly two months to finish the campaign.
Whatever the circumstances for individual leagues, FIFA have made it clear they would rather competitions finished later and made the safety of everyone involved an absolute certainty.
“Our first priority, our principle, the one we will use for our competitions and encourage everyone to follow is that health comes first,” he said.
“I cannot stress this enough. No match, no competition, no league is worth risking a single human life. Everyone in the world should have this very clear in their mind.
"It would be more than irresponsible to force competitions to resume if things are not 100 per cent safe. If we have to wait a little longer we must do so. It’s better to wait a little bit longer than to take any risks.”
