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Ighalo elated
by ‘dream’
Man United
extension
Page 31
LONDON (AFP) - The Premier League’s return
is just two weeks away but there are plenty of
details for the 20 clubs in the English top-light
to work out before competitive action resumes
on June 17.
AFP Sport looks at what is on the agenda
at the latest in a series of meetings between
the clubs today.
WHAT HAPPENS IF SEASON IS STOPPED
AGAIN?
There have been squabbles over how inal
league standings should be decided if the
season cannot be completed but clubs need
a contingency arrangement if a spike in
coronavirus cases wrecks their plans.
Most of the teams in the bottom half of the
table are reportedly pushing for relegation to
be scrapped if the season is not completed on
the ield.
That still seems highly unlikely, with the
English Football Association and English
Football League both insisting on promotion
and relegation throughout the pyramid.
A points-per-game formula is the most
likely option and is part of the reason why the
restart will begin with two matches on June
17, to ensure every side has played the same
number of games.
FIXTURE LIST
Once the two outstanding games - Manchester
City against Arsenal and Aston Villa against
Shefield United - have been played, all 20
sides will have nine games remaining.
No dates for other matches have yet been
released, but ixtures are expected to continue
from where they left off in March and be
crammed into just ive weeks ahead of the FA
Cup inal on August 1.
SUBSTITUTES AND SQUAD SIZES
A long lay-off, little time together in contact
training and a gruelling schedule mean
players’ bodies will be pushed to the limits.
In an attempt to minimise injuries and
fatigue, world governing body FIFA has
allowed leagues to temporarily change their
rules to allow ive substitutes.
Chelsea have also reportedly proposed
increasing the number of substitutes available
from seven to nine.
However, critics have suggested those
changes will simply play into the hands of the
bigger clubs with deeper squads.
NEUTRAL VENUES
Premier League clubs appear to have
won their battle to have games played
Liverpool Football Club’s An ield Stadium is locked and empty. PHOTO: XINHUA
What next for
Premier League’s
‘Project Restart’
in their own grounds rather than on
neutral sites.
However, the United Kingdom’s (UK)
national lead for football policing conirmed
last week that a “small number” of ixtures will
take place at neutral venues.
That is likely to include anymatch that could
see Liverpool crowned champions for the
irst time in 30 years, to try and avoid crowds
gathering at Anield.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is
unconcerned by playing at neutral venues,
with results from four rounds of Germany’s
Bundesliga showing no advantage for home
sides in a closed-doors environment.
“We will not have the help from the crowd
but no team will have that, so where is the
advantage?” Klopp told the
BBC.
“Whoever we play it is the same situation,
which is why I’m not too worried about it.”
VAR
The use of video assisted referee (VAR) could
also be dispensed with for the rest of the
season should the clubs wish to further cut
the number of people required for games to
go ahead.
However, the Premier League’s CEORichard
Masters is keen for it to remain.
“VAR has its own social-distancing issues,
but we think there is a way of completing the
season with VAR,” Masters told
Sky Sports.
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Asia’s Champions
League is getting closer to a return but it will
have to wait until domestic competitions are
back in action, a senior football oficial told
AFP yesterday.
Football is gradually resuming around
the world after closing down because of the
coronavirus, although most leagues are still
yet to return.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
General Secretary Windsor John said, “We are
approaching closer to the return of football.”
“We have towait for all the domestic leagues
to start irst,” added John, when asked about
the return of the AFC’s club tournaments.
The AFCChampions League, Asia’s top club
competition, and the second-tier AFC Cup
have both been on hold since March, along
with World Cup and Olympic qualiiers.
Of the 12 countries involved in the
Champions League, South Korea is the only
league back in action, with four more restarting
in June or July and Thailand scheduled
for September.
John said the AFC was “still in discussion”
about when its competitions will restart,
declining to reveal a possible date.
Time is tight for both club tournaments,
with the 32-teamChampions League needing
to complete four rounds of group-stage
Asian football getting ‘closer’ to return
File photo shows Asian Football Confederation (AFC) General Secretary Windsor John speaking
prior to the AFC Champions League 2019 Knockout Stage Draw in Kuala Lumpur.
PHOTO: XINHUA
matches before reaching the knock-out
phase. The Champions League and AFC
Cup inals are both scheduled to take place
in November.
Asked if therewere any proposals to change
the tournaments’ home-and-away format to
avoid potential infections, John said talks
were ongoing.
John said it was a “positive sign” that sport
was beginning to return around the world,
adding that the AFC had several contingency
plans to cope with travel restrictions.
“We know that all our stakeholders,
including our passionate fans and loyal
sponsors are eager for the AFC’s competitions
to resume,” he said.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The NBA is aiming
to complete the 2020 season by mid-
October, reports said on Tuesday, as the
league edges towards a return from the
coronavirus shutdown.
ESPN
reported that according to a
timeframe due to be voted on by NBA’s
Board of Governors today, Game 7 of the
NBA Finals would take place no later than
October 12.
The NBA and NBA Players Association
are still inalising the details of the
resumption of the season, which was
halted on March 11 as the coronavirus
pandemic erupted.
ESPN
reported that the league is
planning a 22-team format for its return to
play on July 31.
All games are expected to be within the
conines of Disney’s ESPN Wide World of
Sports Complex in Orlando Florida, with all
teams remaining on site to minimise risk
of COVID19 outbreaks.
The NBA’s proposal to be put before
the board today requires support from
three quarters of the league’s 30 teams to
be approved.
NBA targetting
October finish for
virus-hit season