Secret negotiations to give Liverpool the title .. the English league faces 3 solutions

London AFB

Although the UK is floundering in its fight against the emerging coronavirus, which as of Tuesday morning killed more than 1,400 Britons out of more than 22,000 infections, there has been much talk in recent days of potential scenarios for the return of the Premier League football, most notably closed camps and the completion of the season on Neutral stadiums without an audience. In a report issued on Monday, the Mirror newspaper reported that there were behind-the-scenes negotiations to try to give Liverpool the title.

After he decided in mid-March to suspend soccer activities until April 4 because of the "Covid-19" virus, English football officials decided to extend the pause period until April 30, and they will meet on Friday to decide the next step.

Contradictory voices began to rise regarding the next step that should be taken, as some asked to cancel the season in the event that it was impossible to complete it by the end of June, while others considered that the long-awaited title of thirty years should be awarded to Liverpool, in the event that the decision to stop is taken completely since it is not fair to deny it The coronation leads the standings, 25 points behind its closest attainers, after 29 out of 38 stages.

Pending a "black" vision until now, with the number of cases of "Covid-19" virus continuing to rise in the United Kingdom, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Health, Nadine Doris, AFP presents some scenarios that are being circulated behind the scenes.

Behind closed doors -

The option to complete the season in neutral stadiums and behind closed doors, while allowing only the basic staff and the players who transfer the league, is the most available option currently and it is believed that there is increased support from clubs for this plan, provided that the remaining nine stages are completed in June and July, especially after the decision to postpone the European Cup And the Tokyo Olympics from summer 2020 to summer 2021.

And if the concerned people decide to proceed with this plan, the remaining matches may be held in one or two locations only in the Midlands (central) and London, with players and technical and medical cadres being forced into closed camps away from their families, similar to those that precede the major championships of teams or matches. Club competition finals, to avoid infection with the Corona virus.

The root decline of the "Covid-19" virus in the United Kingdom during the next two months is the key to this plan for a number of reasons, most notably the alleviation of players' fears of the possibility of contracting the virus while playing, as well as avoiding that players become vulnerable to criticism for having the privilege to undergo tests not available to the general public, especially Frontline workers to fight this pandemic.

And in the event that the number of injuries does not diminish between now and the summer, the official medical staff will have to devote a large part of their efforts to examining the players in a non-essential and fateful event for the country, the British will not receive approval at all.

- Waiting game -

Given the massive catastrophic impact of the virus on society in general, many consider it morally inappropriate for players to return to stadiums so early, but rather to wait until "Covid-19" is completely under control before resuming play.

In the event that the number of HIV infections in the United Kingdom peaks in June, this means that the suspension of sports activities will be maintained until August or September.

And the wait will allow the complete completion of the current season, ensuring that the Premier League does not have to pay 750 million pounds (930 million, 842 million euros) to companies that transport to Premier League due to the breach of the contract.

But this will have a major impact on the next season because it may lead to shortening the calendar for the next season, especially after the postponement of the European Cup for the national teams to the summer of 2021.
The solution is clear to the England captain and Tottenham's top scorer Harry Caen, which is to cancel the season if it is impossible to complete it by the end of next June.

"I know that English Premier League officials will do everything they can to end the season, and they are looking at every possible option. I think, for me, we need to try to end the season, but I don't," Caen said in an Instagram chat with former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Jimmy Redknapp. I see great benefit playing in July or August and delaying the start of next season. But of course, I don’t know much about the scenes and material matters. ”
He stressed that "football is secondary at the moment ... Things are not in my hands."

Nightmare scenario for Liverpool -

There are officials who support the position of Caen and see that "there is no place for sports at the moment," most notably the president of the Federation, Greg Clark, who told the Premier League earlier this month that he did not expect to complete the season, according to local reports.

Certainly, this scenario undermines Liverpool, who needed to lose its chasing Manchester City to its hosts Burnley, in order to have its fate in its hands when confronting its arch-rival Everton two days later, before deciding to suspend the league.

In a report issued on Monday, the Mirror newspaper reported that there were negotiations to try to give Liverpool the title and then decide to suspend the league, with the coronation being at home against Crystal Palace in the 31st stage if City defeated Burnley before it had a stage.

For the author of the newspaper, "The Daily Telegraph", Paul Hayward, Liverpool should be crowned with the title, explaining, "If the season ends prematurely, it is natural that the coronation be decided according to the point he reached before stopping: 29 out of 38 games (stage), is a respectable distance." Stressing that "nullifying" the season will be "nonsense."

Brighton's CEO, Paul Barber, was not different from Hayward, seeing that if the season were "frozen", it would be unfair to Liverpool, but West Ham United's Vice President, Karen Brady, believed that if the league could not be completed, the solution The only fair is to declare the season "null and void."

No one knows when the players will return to action, but when that happens, many hope that Liverpool will be given a chance to complete their long journey towards the top.