@Robref62 just put a thread on where a top sports lawyer says players can walk out of their contracts on June 30th. So you may have 4 or 5 games left by then but 10 players leave! Whilst I’d prefer to see the season finished, I can’t see how they can when this could happen.
. . . . or complete this season when possible and cancel next season, 'cos I think that it'll be quite a while before this season can be concluded safely I also think that it's obvious that if a player's contract ends 30.6.20 (or whenever) he could 'walk out'
Contracts are intentionally set to that as this is the end of the one season and 1st July beginning of the next. This is completely different though. If you have 7 games left and 8 first teasers contracts run out, how do you complete the season with the same players you registered for said season. The term “sinpgned a deal until the end of the 19/20 season” wouldn’t mean that then would it?
I tend to agree with Smug, football should be just called to halt this season, that would be the sensible step to take. But.......when you factor in the greed of owners, the money involve with potential Promotions and Champions League qualification, then I can only see the courts being very busy if this happened.
Cancelling is an option obviously...but not a good precedent and likely to be legal challenges. Whenever football recommences, whether its behind closed doors or not, I reckon the season has to be finished, before the next one will start
Just give Liverpool the league title play the f a cup games behind closed doors and the champions league and europa league, scrap the league and f a cup next season, plus the minor cups.
In all honesty I don't think there would be any at all. Some clubs may shout a lot and make threats but, in reality, it would just be a lot of noise and arm waving. Any legal challenge would be extremely costly, very unpopular and a very lengthy process. So, what would happen if we get to the end of April and the authorities decide to void this season? Liverpool, as an example, decide to go legal and begin the process which would take months. In the meantime everyone else comes back for pre-season and the kick off in August. Then what ... Liverpool win their case in July or later and want to play out the rest of the season, how could it actually happen? In reality any legal challenge would fail because the courts would say it was a situation beyond anyone's control, not a deliberate act. If the next season was actually delayed, for Liverpools court case, and they lost, there would be uproar from everyone else. It's a shame that this season has been disrupted but playing it out would only contrive to disrupt the next one and probably the one after that. This season has gone down the pan, just like the 1940 season and a few more after that ... ... sad but life sometimes gets in the way.
There is no ideal solution, there's not even a best solution anymore. Some clubs are going to be screwed over, a lot of clubs are going to go bust, and everyone is going to lose a lot of money. I think on balance ending the season as it stands right now is probably just better than scrapping it. Change the playoffs and just send the 3rd placed team up.
Out of interest, what would you do about the FA Cup ... ... if you're awarding Liverpool the title aren't you denying Newcastle the chance to win their first current major trophy in over 60 years. You could say that means more to them than another major trophy does to Liverpool.
I never really thought about that. Perhaps play that at the start of next season before the FA cup starts in January. Take a Europa League place away from the league next year and give it to the 2 cup winners.
Obviously I'm biased but this is the line I was taking on the Premiership board. Liverpool are understandably desperate to have the season finish but it does undermine their arguments regarding "integrity" when it's clear they grave no interest in finishing the cups. How about Europe? I'd have said Man City were favorite but there's little hope of flying groups of people back and forth across the continent in the next couple of months. No solution here is fair. I reckon we must be close to the point where we scrap it and start planning for an August/ September start for next season.
It seems strange that people should suddenly be putting 'football' and 'integrity' in the same sentence. We all know its a financial entity where FFP is anything but that. The season's screwed, big deal.
I assume that there is a contract between the premier league and the clubs. I would also imagine that there are bunch of reasons why the league should be either suspended or even halted. I just find it difficult to believe that a global pandemic is one of those reasons. A mate of mine over here is pretty high up in Loss Adjusting, and he tells me that not one single policy where there is a claim due to this crisis has this kind of issue covering their loss, so I'm guessing that the Premier League just might not have it either (I could be wrong) but If this is the case, I would think that whenever it's safe to do so, this season will be finished one way or another to avoid any contractual issues being sorted out in the courts. That said, I do think that it should be scrapped, Football is irrelevant right now.
It's possible that the virus will spike again next autumn and winter. Could we restart the leagues and cups in August and finish them off? That way, if another lockdown / cancelled games scenario happen, the 20/21 season doesn't suffer the same fate. The European competitions are a different matter.
Mentioned on a thread a while back about merging this season and next season with points gained this season carried over to next so at least the past seasons efforts would gain a reward to carry over . I think it is beginning to look highly unlikely that this season is going to be completed even behind closed doors , I think it would be to dangerous for all concerned and a decision needs to be made so plans could be formulated as soon as possible . Perhaps radical decisions such as cancelling the cup competitions next season might be necessary if required if the start of next season has to be delayed , the FA cup was up to the quarter final stage and I would suggest that again it be carried over to next season as those eight clubs have earned the opportunity to complete the competition . I would suggest that this formula should be applied to all levels of the football pyramid from top to bottom rather than the very unpopular unilateral void the season decision that is unfair in the extreme to aspirational clubs such as South Shields and quite a number who in some cases had already won titles , promotions before the season was voided .