The English Premier League could possibly re-commence as soon as July but will, however, be under ‘strictly controlled conditions’, with games being played behind closed doors.
According to a report in The Daily Mirror, EPL chiefs met with government health officials and representatives of the league’s 20 teams in an endeavor to hammer out an exit plan from lockdown for England’s soccer top tier.
Officials reached a ‘tentative agreement’ to continue in June on condition that the UK’s current measures to stem the spread of COVID-19 are successful.
The EPL hopes that the growth in new cases of the coronavirus will decline gradually into the warmer months and is under considerable pressure to finish the current season.
Overseas media partners have made a cumulative payment of £4.35 billion ($5.32 billion) for the broadcast rights to the 2019-22 seasons, and could quite possibly sue for huge sums if the league does not deliver its quota of games.
The European soccer’s governing body UEFA, said that leagues terminating their seasons early could forfeit lucrative Champion League and Europa League places.
Last month the Football Association (FA) ruled the season could be suspended ‘indefinitely, paving the way for continuation into the summer. Usually all EPL games must be wrapped up by 1st June making way for international matches but these have been bumped to next summer. The FA has now permitted players to sign temporary contract extensions to+ allow them to continue playing into the summer.
Several wealthy EPL clubs have dismissed non-playing staff leaving them reliant on the UK’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The teams have suggested all EPL players accept a 30% wage slash during the crisis which was rejected by the players union.
