Portsmouth CEO Mark Catlin has played down suggestions that the League One season will be cancelled.
Reports last week said that the EFL were set to declare that their attempts to find a solution to completing the League One season were unsuccessful and would now allow clubs to vote on the best way to resolve promotion and relegation.
It led to anger from the likes of Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony, who promised 'a legal battle of epic proportions' should his team be denied the right to compete in the play-offs.
Yet Catlin says any cancellation would be news to him, in news that could well provide a boost to the prospect of Bristol Rovers' season being completed.
He told the Portsmouth News: "It’s news to me, the last I knew this had to go to a vote. We haven’t been given a vote yet.
"At the moment we can’t train, at the moment we can’t play games behind closed doors or let fans in. Until the situation or timescales change it’s very difficult to say what will happen.
"As far as I’m aware, unless there’s meetings taking place behind my back and a lot of other clubs’, there’s no defined date on votes being held or papers going out, not to my knowledge.
"Maybe the board decide that, but I’m pretty sure clubs are not aware of any dates at the moment - or what’s going to be on the papers.
"Clubs are going to need to know what’s on the table before you can vote.
"At this moment in time, in my mind, there is and still continues to be a determination to finish this season, whenever that may be. That’s the only early information we’ve been getting - there was a clear desire to finish the season. I’m still hoping that will be the case because that’s the camp we’re in.
"We, along with a number of other clubs I speak to, are still fully intent on exploring every way we can finish this season.
"Our position is to finish this season before we start the next. When it’s safe to restart we want to explore every avenue possible to do so."
Catlin also revealed that his preference would be to complete the season when it is safe, even if that means with completely different players at the club.
He said: "Ideally we’ve said July 31 (to finish the season) because of the player contracts.
"But the word integrity is mentioned and the lesser of all evils is to finish.
"Even if it’s in the new season (the usual time frame for 2020-21) with different players and squad - it’s still the same club.
"It’s not alien. We have the January window where clubs spin their players.
"So if we have to extend it and this is effectively another window, then so be it. There’s more integrity in that compared to things like points per game for me."
Catlin's views will provide a boost to the likes of Sunderland and Wycombe Wanderers, who are still in with a chance of promotion.
