So the saga continues, and Liverpool are still unsure whether they will finally be awarded the Premier League title that they so richly deserve as the UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has announced a new deadline to finish the season, and for the first time admits that it is possible that the European competitions may have to be abandoned.
“We have different options for restarting the Champions League and Europa League,” Ceferin said in an interview with ZDF.de, translated from the German by the Daily Star. “It could be in May, June, July… or it might not be played. That option is also on the table.
“All must be completed by August 3, both in the Champions League and Europa League. It can’t go on to September or October.
“There are lots of options. “It’s an extraordinary situation. We have to be flexible.”
UEFA have not given that definite deadline to the Premier League as yet, after announcing the other day: “We are confident that football can restart in the months to come – with conditions that will be dictated by public authorities – and believe that any decision of abandoning domestic competitions is, at this stage, premature and not justified,”
But surely that must be the same for the domestic EPL, as it is a realistic date, considering that the most affected European countries are now seeing a gradual drop in the amount of new coronavirus cases being reported and the production of working testing kits is are being cranked, but yet again, no-one really knows how things are going to work out in the coming months…
Do Arsenal fans think that this is a realistic deadline at last?
No! I for one do NOT think it a remotely realistic deadline for the prime reason, among several other sreasons that until an effective vaccine is found and widely used world wide a resumption of close connection human activity , which football obviously IS, will prevent government authorities from allowing it. Whatever the football authorities decrees, is completely irrelevant against government law.
Other reasons occur too. Firstly, the need to have medical people present and an ambulance on call(even behind closed doors) while this epidemic is till raging, which will not be allowed by law or by the medics themselves. Those medics will put public health before playing football. Medical people have ethics and will NOT behave unethically, even if the football folk wish them to do so and even if lesser numbers actually die, which hopefully will be the case quite soon now.
Lower numbers dying and being inffected , BECAUSE of social distancing will NOT prevent the disease increasing again , immediately CLOSE CONTACT is resumed. That will not and can not happen and try as they might, the football authorities and ALL us football fanatics worldwide will be powerless against this disease UNTIL a vaccine is found and widely used. Just lifes reality. Accept it or decline it as you choose . But it remains true.
I think people and the media love to give people false hope and then Wham! Bring you down to earth with the dooms day scenario, just to rub it in and make our misery worse. The truth is that like Jon says, until a vaccine or cure for this disease is found, we wont be returning to normal, no concerts, no football matches, no mass gatherings or any puplic events. Football will have to wait and nothing will change that, football at this time is not important and if it goes bust from the boom, it will only itself to blame with short sighted selfish greed that has swamped the game that once was a sport and not a cash cow. Football will not be starting for a very very long time and when it does, it will look very different to what it was before. The greedy selfish business will have to change or die if it doesn’t readjust its ways. I for one dont give a jot if the greedy clubs and owners go bust but i do care that the smaller well run clubs will as well. There isn’t a contingency plan for football, they didn’t think about one, only creaming the money from willing fans. While some fans will still get relieved of their hard earned cash for mediocrity many more will have better things to do with it, if they have any left.
what are you both talking about this is not a seriously death bringing virus. Full stop. end convo.
power grab probably, but if things change in that way and the leagues do indeed end. You’ll hear my name elsewhere and i’d hope both of you would support that cause.
You are a very sick in the head person. I truly pity anyone who knows you personally and even more so if they have spent time in your company. Shame on you!
Tell that to the families of the 4000 that have died of the virus in the last two weeks,IDIOT! WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM. My wife works on the frontline and is seeing the real effects of this and the awful consequences. GROW UP!
Premier league matches need security, police, access to emergency services. Also a lot of people crowded together. It’s unrealistic that this will happen by August
I don’t believe that it will be contained by August let alone finish the season by August
A vaccine may not be ready until next year.
Priorities! The health of the People of this country should come first. The NHS should come first
I love Football but it’s not that important
Life, friends, loved ones, fellow human beings, our NHS is more important
One possible silver lining in all this, Kroenkes out as losing too much money?
Will you never let go of Kroenke even when we are worried about coronavirus? Yours must be an obsession!
David, Surely intelligent folk can be concerned about several things at once? Wanting Kroenke gone does not mean we care any less than others about this dreadful disease.