The Dutch FA has become the second European League to cancel the remaining games, but with the new guidelines from UEFA, they have decide not to name any club as Champions.
Belgium announced Bruges as Champions but they were only one game from the end of the season and Bruges were 15 points clear. Holland, on the other hand, have decided not to name a Champion as, with 9 games remaining, Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were only separated by goal difference, so they are asking UEFA if both sides can enter the Champions League in the Qualifying rounds.
Just Spee, the president of the Dutch FA, was asked if he expected other European Leagues to complete their seasons, as they have pledged to. “It is slim.” he said on the BBC .
“At the same time I do know that what is true for us, we are footballers we want to play, is true for all of my colleagues around the continent.
“And in the UK it is not different. So they will hold onto a sliver of hope as long as it’s there. But again, we’ve seen how this develops. Is it realistic? In the end it probably will not be, but we’ll see.
“To be honest, seeing what is happening and seeing that things get postponed week by week by week, how realistic is it that within the next three or four weeks we will come to a different conclusion? Not so much I believe.
“And also the Premier League will need a number of weeks to complete their competition. Is there going to be enough time for that? Doubtful, very doubtful.”
With the government giving gloomy predictions about severe restrictions going on for a very long time, he could be right about England failing to complete the season, but what about his decision not to name a Champion?
“We thought it was really inappropriate to just award a title for this specific time-frame, where on the one hand the competition did not conclude, so there is no formal champion in that sense,” he said.
“But also, to take on board what society is going through, I mean talk about a champion in such a year?
“We did not believe that that was appropriate. For example if you were to compare that to the English situation, maybe you would come to a different conclusion, Liverpool is so way out compared to the rest, I would not blame the FA to come to that conclusion. But in our case that was simply not appropriate.”
I, personally, still think we will complete the English season, as the Government seem quite happy for the virus to spread, albeit in a controlled manner, but IF they don’t, then I believe that Liverpool will be given the title of Champions in the end, however they define the finishing positions…