UEFA have sent a warning to clubs across Europe that they should be aiming to complete the 2019/20 season and that they think doing so is a realistic aim.
The Premier League and others around the world are currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, and at this stage it’s not clear when football could return.
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This has even led to talk of the campaign being declared null and void as it could take too long to get it finished before it’s time to think about starting the 2020/21 season.
Still, UEFA seems clear that leagues should be completed, which will be good news for Liverpool as they remain just two wins away from being confirmed Premier League champions.
However, UEFA’s message, as quoted by the Daily Record, also gives the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea the incentive to keep on playing.
These sides remain firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification, but ending the season early as the Belgian top flight looks set to do could threaten teams’ places in the Champions League next season, according to UEFA.
Their letter read: “We are confident that football can restart in the months to come with conditions that will be dictated by public authorities,
“Their work is now focusing on scenarios encompassing the months of July and August, including the possibility that the UEFA competitions restart after the completion of domestic leagues.
“A joint management of calendars is strictly required as the conclusion of the current season must be coordinated with the start of the new one, which may be partly impacted because of the overstretch.
“Closely following the development of the current situation, the calendar working group will indicate as soon as possible, and ideally by mid-May, which of the plans can be enacted for the completion of the season without leaving anyone behind.
“Since participation in UEFA club competitions is determined by the sporting result achieved at the end of a full domestic competition, a premature termination would cast doubts about the fulfillment of such condition.”
United and Chelsea, as well as teams like Leicester City and Tottenham, will all be eager to ensure they can compete at the highest level of European football next season, and it seems they will have to be able to justify that through their final league positions at the end of a full campaign.