Premier League clubs discuss curtailing season for first time during Monday meeting

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Premier League clubs discussed the prospect of curtailing the season for the first time during their latest meeting on Monday, according to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters.

The English top flight has been on hold for two months now due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it remains to be seen if there is a realistic solution to get games going again any time soon.

MORE: How football player testing could play key role in coronavirus battle

It seems like clubs are being open-minded about how to move forward, but Masters did concede that the prospect of curtailing the season was discussed yesterday.

As quoted by the Evening Standard, he said: “It was the first time we discussed curtailment – it’s still our aim to finish the season obviously but it’s important to discuss all the options with our clubs.

“The contents of that discussion have to remain confidential. What I can say is that all of the talk was about finishing the season. No conclusions were reached on any other models. Those are future conversations we may need to have.”

He added: “We have protocols created and reviewed, we have a testing company appointed, but the important consultation with players and managers is the next step, nothing has been agreed and nothing will be agreed until we have spoken to both the managers and the players.”

The choice of words here could be important from a Liverpool point of view, as curtail does not imply the same thing as the potential ‘null and void’ option.

While it has been suggested that this season could be essentially wiped from the records and deny Liverpool the chance of winning the title, curtailing implies simply shortening the campaign, which might mean simply ending it based on the current table.

This would give Jurgen Klopp’s side the title, as has happened with Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, but it would no doubt be hugely controversial for clubs who feel they could have avoided relegation or secured a Champions League spot if the season had been played out in full.

With the Bundesliga due to start this weekend, let’s hope the Premier League can also find a safe way of resuming at some point this summer.

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