Premier League May return soon

THE Premier League are working on a plan to restart the 2019/20 campaign on the first weekend in May and conclude the season by July 12, a report from the Mail claims.

The Premier League campaign is currently on hold until April 30, at the very earliest, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the Premier League, which is set to hold a stakeholders meeting on Friday via a conference call, is set to put the proposal to the division’s 20 clubs, though it would need approval from the Government, public health bodies and the Professional Footballers’ Association [PFA].

This potential avenue is seen as the best way to try and combat the financial losses that Premier League clubs have faced due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen football right across Europe come to a standstill.

The Premier League’s aspiration to get the season back under way in May boils down to their financial reliance on TV companies, who have a water-tight £3billion-a-year deal which expires on July 31, with the deal for the 2020/21 season starting on August 1, meaning there could be next to no time to finalise the campaign in relation to TV rights.

It is reported that the cut-off point to finish the season, in relation to the TV contracts, is July 16, meaning that if the season is not completed by that date the likes of Sky Sports, BT Sport and international broadcasters could demand rebates up to a whopping £762million.

The broadcasters are eager for the Premier League to make a decision over the future of the remainder of the season as they are losing subscribers at a rapid rate.

During informal discussions between clubs’ executives over the last few days, Sunday, July 12 is the date that has been targeted to bring the campaign to end, with fixtures resuming on the first weekend in May, should it be safe to do so.

However, given that Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, revealed on Sunday that the UK could dip in and out of lockdown over the next six months, the possibility of concluding the Premier League campaign by mid-July could prove impossible.

HUDDERSFIELD Town owner Phil Hodgkinson believes their squad is better than Leeds United’s, despite trailing the Whites by 29 points in the Championship table.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have done the double over their West Yorkshire rivals this season, securing a 2-0 win at Elland Road at the beginning of March.

Leeds’ performance on the day earned rave reviews from Danny Cowley and also left-back Harry Toffolo, who admitted Huddersfield were outclassed by their superior