Former Football Association chairman Greg Dyke believes the Premier League season must be played to a conclusion as he warned of the consequences of the campaign being declared void.
All elite level English football was suspended on Friday over fears of the spread of coronavirus, with domestic competitions across Europe similarly put on hold.
An increasingly agitated debate has subsequently pursued over how best to manage the remaining games, with Karren Brady, the vice-chairman of relegation-threatened West Ham United, calling for the season to be cancelled completely with Liverpool 25 points clear at the Premier League summit.
Brady's comments prompted waves of criticism with The Apprentice star later clarifying her viewpoint by tweeting "LFC deserve to win the title".
UEFA will meet on Tuesday to determine their next move, with the European governing body keen to conclude the Champions League and Europa League but expected to postpone Euro 2020 until next summer.
That would give domestic leagues the opportunity to conclude during the time currently set aside for the tournament.
And, speaking to The Times, ex-FA chief Dyke has warned of the legal ramifications and huge monetary cost should the campaign be expunged from the records.
“It doesn’t make sense to try to cancel the season," he said.
"We are assuming that Euro 2020 is not going to happen, so you have to complete the season even if that means playing into August and delaying the start of next season.
“You might even have to play behind closed doors to fulfil the contracts for the broadcasters, otherwise they are just not going to pay up, and that could mean hundreds of millions of pounds.
"You may even have to play three matches a week just to get them done.
“I can see if you are a Norwich fan or of a team like West Ham, you might be delighted if the season was cancelled.
"At a club like Leeds (top of the Championship), their fans would go nuts. You can also imagine clubs taking legal action, especially the more litigious ones.”
The Times have also reported the Professional Footballers’ Association will oppose any restart until players are deemed to not be at risk, while the Premier League’s official line is it will aim to complete the remaining quarter of the season.
Premier League clubs will meet on Thursday to determine their next move.
