PROMOTION? IT’S NOT LIKELY NOW
Lawyer says further cancellations will make it impossible to finish season
CHAMPIONSHIP sides with Premier League ambitions have been warned about their promotion prospects this season.
With football on hold until the first weekend of April due to the coronavirus outbreak, a lawyer has told Sky Sports that if the season doesn’t start again soon we are facing a complete cancellation of the 2019-20 campaign.
Swansea City were set for a trip to Teesside to play Middlesbrough last Saturday but an announcement on Friday saw all EFL and Premier League matches postponed until next month.
Privately, there is a feeling that further games will be called off, with the virus expected to peak in future weeks.
Lawyer Richard Cramer says the whole season is likely to be terminated if more ties are halted.
“Get the games going in April and I think we should be all right,” he told Sky Sports.
“But if we go through to May or June then I think it’s almost inevitable that — it’s almost the equivalent of what happened in the world wars — the season just has to be cancelled.
“Then we start all over again, which is obviously devastating for the likes of Leeds and West Brom, both those clubs are on the verge of promotion.
“It’s not a great thought, but they’ll just have to abide by what the majority say and what decision is made by the board of directors.”
Leading sides Leeds and West Brom would obviously be hit hard and be denied automatic promotion, but the play-off pack would also be prevented from making a shot at the big time.
Swansea and Cardiff are just three and two points off the top six respectively and missing out on Premier League riches could have a huge knock-on effect for all clubs chasing promotion.
Over the weekend, Brighton CEO Paul Barber suggested that Leeds and West Brom should be promoted to the top flight to form a 22-team league, with no team relegated to the Championship this season.
“To leave the 20 Premier League teams as is would obviously help us and others,” stated the Brighton CEO.
“But to bring the two top teams [Leeds & West Brom] from the Championship up gives us a larger Premier League next season, perhaps four relegation places and then two promotion spots in the Championship to return the league back to 20 teams the season after. It has some merit.”
EFL chiefs are set to meet tomorrow to discuss the next course of action. ■ How Mcburnie’s Wilder bust-up led to Premier League glory — page 38