The Premier League has been given four weeks to finalise their plans for the resumption of the 2019/20 season by governing body UEFA.
Discussions regarding the Premier League’s potential return are ongoing, with a video conference between the clubs and stakeholders set for Friday, as England looks to follow other top leagues in Europe by pushing ahead with plans to resume the season.
The Premier League is committed to finishing the season, where possible, but details on plans are yet to be finalised, with a number of scenarios being mooted - including playing matches at neutral venues.
However, UEFA has now set a deadline for plans to be finalised as they want to know how the leagues are planning to finish the season following the coronavirus crisis by May 25.
A new circular from the governing body stated: “National Associations and/or Leagues should be in a position to communicate to Uefa by May 25, 2020, the planned restart of their domestic competitions — including the date of restart and the competition format.”
UEFA has already made it clear that qualification for the Champions League and Europa League next season must be decided on ‘sporting merit’, with their preference being for the season to be concluded or, if that’s not possible, another competitive format could be used to decide the outcome on the field.
The Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ has gained traction in recent days, with the government backing plans for top-level sport to return, but there are still a number of difficult issues that must be overcome.
Mass testing will be required for Premier League players, who will also have to remain in isolation to ensure they are not exposed to coronavirus - as another outbreak within the league could cancel the season entirely.
