Liverpool will not be declared Premier League champions if the coronavirus crisis forces the remainder of the season to be abandoned.
That is according to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who according to a report in the Daily Mail has denied claims that European football’s governing body would advise national leagues under its jurisdiction to finish their seasons early and award league titles to teams currently leading their country’s top division.
As per the Daily Mail, the Slovenian said: “I’ve seen and heard some again fake news that UEFA will advise leagues to finish the championships now and decide that the winners are the ones who are number one now. I can say that it’s not true. Our goal is to finish the leagues and we didn’t recommend anything like that to any association or league.”
How does Ceferin’s statement impact Liverpool?
As you’re probably aware, the Reds lead the Premier League by a mammoth 25 points and need just two more wins to ensure a first league title in 30 years, which is already the longest streak in the club’s history without being champions of England.
The Premier League had previously cited 4 April as a possible return date. However, with the 20 top-flight clubs due to meet tomorrow for further discussions on how to proceed with the season, and no decisions likely to be taken until next week, an early April resumption looks hopeful at best.
As per The Guardian, there have been 407 more cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the United Kingdom in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 1,950, with 60 of those proving fatal. Far from receding, the pandemic appears to be becoming ever more prevalent across the country.
If the crisis worsens to a point in the near future where the viability of playing the remaining nine rounds of Premier League fixtures becomes compromised, a seemingly inevitable league title for Liverpool, and the end of a torturous famine, would be cruelly taken from them through no fault of their own.
What is likely to happen next?
As stated above, the future of the 2019/20 Premier League season should become clearer over the next few days once the 20 clubs hold detailed discussions on how best to proceed. Sky Sports reported that a statement from UEFA said that its member leagues have committed to ending their seasons by 30 June, with the same media outlet claiming that FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has said that clubs are determined to complete their league seasons whenever viable.
UEFA’s decision yesterday to postpone the European Championship for a year to 2021 has freed up a significant portion of the football calendar to potentially get club seasons completed, if that is a possibility in the coming weeks. That, along with the reported sentiments from Premier League clubs, should enable the season to be played to a natural conclusion and help Liverpool to earn the status as champions of England on the pitch rather than in a boardroom.
However, it seems difficult to accurately predict when the season can resume. Hopefully it can at a point when it is safe to do so, as Ceferin seems determined not to simply hand Liverpool the title and it would be beyond cruel on the Reds if their dreams were to be dashed in this fashion and at this juncture.
Liverpool fans, are you worried after hearing Ceferin’s defiant statement? Do you agree or disagree with his point of view? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
