Premier League & English Football Suspension Extended

Fans of the Premier League have been waiting to see whether or not there would be any kind of update from today’s PL meeting – and there has been.

The suspension on all football in England has been extended to April 30, with the following statement being issued today by the Premier League themselves.

The next step

“The FA, Premier League, EFL and women’s professional game, together with the PFA and LMA, understand we are in unprecedented times and our thoughts are with everyone affected by COVID-19.

We are united in our commitment to finding ways of resuming the 2019/20 football season and ensuring all domestic and European club league and cup matches are played as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.

We have collectively supported UEFA in postponing EURO 2020 to create space in the calendar to ensure domestic and European club league and cup matches have an increased opportunity to be played and, in doing so, maintain the integrity of each competition.

The FA’s Rules and Regulations state that “the season shall terminate not later than the 1 June” and “each competition shall, within the limit laid down by The FA, determine the length of its own playing season”.

However, The FA’s Board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019/20 season in relation to Professional Football.

Additionally, we have collectively agreed that the professional game in England will be further postponed until no earlier than 30 April.

The progress of COVID-19 remains unclear and we can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority. We will continue to follow Government advice and work collaboratively to keep the situation under review and explore all options available to find ways of resuming the season when the conditions allow.

Taking a stand

We would all like to re-emphasise that our thoughts are with everyone affected by COVID-19.”

The fact that the June 1 deadline has been extended is reassuring, to say the least, with the expectation now being that the Premier League will run long into the summer once teams and players are given the chance to do so.

There are still many complications regarding the coronavirus that need to be ironed out, and just how long that is going to take remains to be seen.

The general hope and expectation is that the ongoing attempts at suppressing the virus will allow for a month-long period or so in the summer in which the impending lockdowns will be lifted.

Of course, we all know that there are a million and one factors at play, and determining what to do next is going to take time.

The best news to come out of all of this is that the Premier League openly understands and recognizes the gravity of the situation that faces us all. Of course, the health and wellbeing of the masses needs to be viewed as the priority, and in the grand scheme of things, football really isn’t all that important – and that’s an understatement.