Premier League clubs have been told there is no chance of getting rid of relegation for the 2019-20 season.
The prospect is in fact seen as so fanciful that it was not even raised at last Friday’s meeting, but some officials have since attempted to raise it as a potential bargaining chip in discussions to get the campaign restarted.
Sources say that there is a “lot of politicking” going on behind the scenes right now, especially due to a split between the bottom six and the rest.
With the Premier League maintaining that the only way to return on 12 June is with neutral venues, the six clubs in danger of relegation are fearful that their chances could be skewed by a greater number of away games.
Brighton, for example, still have to play the majority of the top six at home – games that would all now be neutral venues.
The bottom six have argued they would be more open to the idea if relegation – and the huge financial cost of going down – was scrapped.
It has been made clear, however, that is off the table.
The first issue is the fact that any change to promotion or relegation has to be agreed with the Football Association and EFL.
The second issue is that relegation is one of the most open remaining dramas in the Premier League this season – especially with Liverpool all but guaranteed the title – and that is something that is essential for broadcasters.
Aside from the fact scrapping relegation would be a breach of contract, some officials fear ‘Project Restart’ could backfire if it is just a series of meaningless dead rubbers.
