Potential June 6 target for football's post-coronavirus resumption

June 6 has emerged as a possible date for English football to resume behind closed doors – but only if the Government is satisfied it will be safe by then.
DISCUSSIONS: English football is keen to resume as soon as it is safe to do soDISCUSSIONS: English football is keen to resume as soon as it is safe to do so
DISCUSSIONS: English football is keen to resume as soon as it is safe to do so
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Yorkshire's EFL clubs told of 56-day plan to complete season behind closed doors

Last week, the Football League advised its clubs not to plan to return to full training until May 16, and suggested considering giving players time off in the interim.

They are thought to be targeting a resumption of the 2019-20 three weeks later. That would mean the season belatedly finishing, most likely with the Championship play-off final, on August 1.

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The Premier League is due to meet on Friday to discuss its plans.

At this stage, however, any date is no more than an aspiration. It is a sensitive subject, with broadcasters apparently told they will only be granted interviews with players and managers on condition they do not ask about it.

Government restrictions on lifting social distancing measures are due to be discussed later this week but are not expected to be lifted.

The Football League is working on the assumption that when matches resume, they do so behind closed doors.

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The anxiety to complete the season is two-fold. Firstly, with the campaign around two-thirds completed, abandoning it would damage the sporting integrity of the competition, and leave it open to lawsuits from clubs either denied promotion or condemned to relegation depending on whether the season is declared null and void, or such matters are decided on the basis of points per game, or the positions when matches were suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus on March 13.

There is also the issue that not playing the remaining games – which for many clubs is nine league matches – could breach all manner of contracts, most notably the Premier League's multi-billion broadcast deals. The value of games still to be screened this season is thought to be in the region of £762m.

UEFA has also indicated leagues finishing early without their permission could be banned from next season's Europa League and Champions League.

The later the completion of the season, the greater logistical problems it could cause. The financial difficulties many clubs are in means they need revenue streams up and running again as soon as is safely possible. This would be the motivation behind restarting without supporters, rather than waiting until it is deemed safe for mass gatherings.

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Leeds United and Rotherham United are in the automatic promotion positions in the Championship and League One respectively, while Barnsley are in the second tier's relegation zone. League One Doncaster Rovers and League Two Bradford City still have outside chances of reaching the play-offs – which are incorporated in their usual format into the League's 56-day schedule – while restarting would leave Hull City, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town having to resume Championship relegation battles.

When the Premier League was suspended indefinitely, Sheffield United sat in seventh with a game in hand which could allow them to move up to fifth. Unless a Manchester City appeal against their suspension from European competition next season throws a spanner in the works, sixth and seventh will qualify for the Europa League, with fifth enough for the Champions League.

The Blades, who are also in the FA Cup quarter-finals, have never played in European competition.

The chief executive of Germany's Bundesliga, Christian Seifert, has outlined plans for a resumption early next month. The spread of covid-19 has been much less severe in Germany, where testing has been far more widespread.

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"It won’t be the case that one doctor or one nurse that is really relevant for the system cannot be tested because football players have to be tested,” he told the New York Times.

"The concept is to give certainty to players, to their families and to society as well."

Last week the League Manager's Association said they would only support a resumption when all players had been tested for the virus – and stressed this could only happen once NHS workers had been first.One of the proposals which could be discussed at Friday's video conference between the Premier League clubs is to play up to four televised games a day behind closed doors at Wembley, with St George's Park available for training.

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