‘Has to be finished’ – Member of UEFA group delivers clearest timeline yet for Leeds season end
Everything seems to be pointing towards a June re-start date for the Championship, which has to be finished before September.
That’s to ensure the postponed Euro 2021 finals can take place as scheduled, according to Lars-Christer Olsson, president of the European Leagues organisation and part of UEFA’s emergency working group.
EFL chairman Rick Parry sent out a letter to all 71 clubs last week hinting at a return to training on May 16, with games set to resume in June behind closed doors.
Parry said all the remaining games could be played in 56 days, including the play-offs.
Alan Shearer said players would need three weeks training, which would put the re-start of the Championship to the second week in June. That would see the season finish in August.
A report in the Times on Monday quoted Olsson, president of the European Leagues organisation, which includes the Premier League and the EFL.
Olsson also sits on UEFA’s emergency working group looking at the fixture calendar.
He said, “The idea is growing now that you can have a clean environment in closed stadiums without spectators for a period, and fans still have the opportunity to watch the games on various platforms.
“We have a meeting next week so we will be speaking to the representative from Germany, and there are also signs from the Italian sports minister that they want to open up for sports.
“Everything has to be finished for Euro 2021, so that is pushing the alternatives backwards to make room for that.”
Events will still be contingent on the Coronavirus outbreak following a similar decline seen in other European countries.
However, this timeline not only seems realistic but also the only way the 20/21 season could be played in full and still finish in time for the Euro 2021 finals.
Having been postponed a year already, we can’t see UEFA moving this competition again.
That puts a hard stop on the 20/21 season and working back from that, it means the 19/20 Championship has to be done sometime in August.
That means Leeds fans should know their fate in around four months before the play-offs finish the 19/20 Championship.
Hopefully, Leeds won’t be a part of that and will go on to secure automatic promotion.
Leeds have a seven-point buffer at the moment and only Fulham can realistically catch them.
In other Leeds United news, ‘Not going to be easy’ – Shearer delivers advice to Leeds players nine games away from promotion