The EFL will be in attendance for the meeting between football’s governing bodies, sports broadcasters and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in London on Monday regarding coronavirus, it has been confirmed.
The outcome of the meeting could have an impact on Nottingham Forest and their Sky Bet Championship rivals.
Two people in the UK have died from the virus and the number of confirmed cases jumped to 273 on Sunday, with an increase of 64 representing the biggest single-day increase so far.
In Italy, Serie A matches have been ordered to be played behind closed doors and 16 million people in the northern section of the country has been quarantined, in a bid to quell Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
Other leagues across the world have already taken similar action, with other sports also being affected, and there is a growing expectation that the UK could follow suit, depending on government advice.
While a lot of the talk has orientated around the impact on the Premier League, the remainder of the EFL is also set to be impacted and the 71 clubs outside of the top-flight will be hit hardest from any loss of matchday revenue.
The EFL have confirmed that they will be attending Monday’s meeting, where attendees are due to discuss logistics and feasibility as well as contracts and rights considerations.
Ahead of the weekend, both the EFL and Premier League said pre-match handshakes would not take place until further notice and some clubs have instructed players not to take selfies or sign autographs.
If playing matches behind closed doors is ordered, it is unclear how long the action would last but, if it remains in place until the end of the season, the play-off finals at Wembley Stadium would also be significantly affected.
