Cornavirus – Football Return Latest
Health and safety is priority for all football fans, in every county, during this pandemic but they will be counting down the days until the action returns.
We’ve taken a look at some of the major football leagues and the latest information on when their teams will be back on the pitch, following the coronavirus pandemic.
Premier League not committing to date
The latest video meeting of the 20 Premier League clubs took place on April 17 and there wasn’t too much indication as to when the English top-flight football will be back.
Officials say all of the clubs are still committed to finishing the 2019-20 season, and completing the remaining 92 matches “remains our objective”.
There had been talk of trying to finish the campaign by June 30, but the Premier League insists that no date has been set and that they have discussed several “possible scheduling models”.
EFL reveal streaming plan
English Football League chairman Rick Parry has written to all league clubs and released an open letter to the supporters about the league’s intentions for when football can return.
Parry has warned fans that the remaining matches in the Championship, League One and League Two are likely to be played behind closed doors. But he did say that the EFL plan to stream every game, so fans can still get to watch their team.
Meanwhile, the letter to the clubs has asked them to ready to restart the season at “relatively short notice” and says the recommended “return-to-training date of May 16, at the earliest, is still in place”.
Bundesliga may be forced to wait
German top-flight teams have been back in training for the last couple of weeks and there were hopes that the Bundesliga might return in May.
The 36 clubs from Germany’s top two divisions are due to meet on April 23, so they can to discuss if, how and when football can resume.
The latest comments from the German government suggest they wouldn’t be happy with any public gatherings until August, despite their health minister saying the outbreak in Germany was under control.
Bayern continue training in small groups today [🎥 @Sky_Marc]pic.twitter.com/KoXo69zXKz
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 10, 2020
Spain hush on football return plans
We haven’t heard anything from La Liga officials over the last couple of weeks, after they postponed football indefinitely.
One of the league’s broadcast partners indicated in early April that a return behind-closed-doors could happen in July.
Sports Minister plays down Serie A hopes
Like Spain, Serie A bosses have not commented in recent weeks on potential dates, with Italy one of the worst effected countries during the pandemic.
The most recent remarks came from Vincenzo Spadafora, the Italian minister for sport, who rejected talk of a May 3 return as “too optimistic”.
Sapadafora suggested the Italian football federation might decide to postpone matches until ‘late summer’, but admitted the situation is complicated.
June the target for France
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron extended the lockdown in France to May 11, putting a Ligue 1 return in more doubt.
French newspaper L’Equipe claims a document from league body LFP has earmarked June 3 or June 17 to restart – with the latter looking more likely.
If Ligue 1 does return on June 17, then its expected teams would have to play every three days, so the 2019-20 campaign could end by July 25.
China plan pushed back
After a dramatic drop in coronavirus cases last month, it had been suggested that Chinese Super League may be able to return before the end of April.
However, the Chinese government have ruled out an early resumption of major sporting events, with concerns over a second wave of the virus.
Reports have now suggested the Chinese FA have instructed clubs that they may begin preparing for a new season, which they hope may start in June or July.
