Manchester City are fully committed to finishing the football season – but will refuse to play again until they are given 100 percent guarantees that the health crisis is over.
Etihad bosses have been stung by suggestions that they are one of the clubs pushing to have the campaign cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
When the lockdown came, Pep Guardiola's defending champions were 25 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table.
But they are the only club this season to win a domestic trophy – successfully defending both the Community Shield and the Carabao Cup.
They have also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to give themselves a great chance of making the last eight of the Champions League.
But City are adamant that health issues remain their No 1 priority – and that they will not play again until the nation is given an all-clear.
And that could impact on any attempt by the Premier League and FA to resume the football programme by playing matches behind closed doors.
It is understood that City's stance is shared by an overwhelming majority of top-flight clubs.
A senior boardroom source at the club said: “Any suggestion we want the season cancelled is ludicrous.
“But the health of our players, our staff, our fans and their respective families must be our priority.
“That means we won't go back to playing games until it is clear that the coronavirus threat has passed completely.”
City have made an offer to health bosses to make the Etihad Stadium available for medical purposes.
The club made a similar gesture in the aftermath of Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017, when their stadium became an important refuge for affected families and emergency services.
London's ExCel Arena, which has been transformed into the Nightingale Hospital to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak, is also Abu Dhabi-owned.
