‘PREM CAN’T SCRAP FEAR OF THE DROP’

PORTUGAL’S Primeira Liga restarts today – with a warning for English football.

Maritimo’s former Reading boss Jose Gomes says there is “no point” in playing again unless the games mean something and relegation is at stake.

Gomes finds himself in danger of going down.

But he argues that football already looks drastically different and must not change any further with Premier League clubs still arguing over relegation and what happens if the English season is curtailed.

Gomes said: “This is the football life. You must be fighting for something all of the time, otherwise there’s no point.

“We can never be completely perfect. But if you say ‘stop the league’ and we just start next season then it’s not fair.

“Our second division has stopped but CD Nacional and Farense will be promoted.

“But it’s better to play football under these conditions than not at all.

“There was talk of two clubs being promoted and no teams being relegated.

“In the end, they decided to give football to the people... and then you have the TV rights and they have paid for games that mean something.

“It feels very strange. We are different from England because our second division has stopped.

“It seems very unfair. But you need games to mean something.

“Football is so important for society. If we can play again then it shows that maybe life is safe.

“Football can be positive, give people some enjoyment and take their mind off more serious things.”

Gomes left Reading last October after a poor spell of form and has helped inspire Maritimo to a better run, which leaves them eight points above the drop zone with 10 games left in the Portuguese top flight.

He hopes the Primeira Liga and Premier League fare better than the Bundesliga, where he believes the level of football is well below par with the absence of crowds a major factor.

Gomes, whose side tackle Vitoria tomorrow, said: “The Bundesliga is not the same level.

“You look around the stands and there’s no one there – all you hear is the noise of a training session and the intensity and dynamic of the game is totally different. The good thing is that we can learn from Germany.”