Leeds handed tentative return date as EFL chairman confirms behind-closed-doors plan
The EFL has unveiled a radical plan to get the Championship season and the play-offs finished in just 56 days behind closed doors – and it’s great news for Leeds United.
In a letter from EFL chairman Rick Parry, he confirmed that clubs would get adequate time to prepare for the re-start with Leeds handed a tentative return to training date of May 16.
In a letter quoted in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Parry said, “We currently estimate that the League will require approximately 56 days to complete the outstanding matches in the season (including Play-Offs) and we are committed to ensuring that clubs are provided an appropriate notice period to ensure you are able to prepare operationally given the scale and impact of the postponement in place.
“Clubs should be advised not to recommence any training activity with players until 16 May at the earliest.”
This is great news for Leeds and another commitment that the 19/20 season will get finished.
Sun journalist Alan Nixon said Parry had put a “lot of thought into this” and stated, “players off until May 16”. He also said that play-offs would be conducted with “home and away semis”.
If clubs do return to training in mid-May then fixtures could potentially kick-off behind closed doors in the first week of June.
That would mean the final nine games of the season getting done in July before the play-offs.
Leeds are currently top of the Championship and are favourites to secure one of the two automatic promotion spots.
After missing out on the top two last season and losing in the play-offs to Debry, Leeds will be desperate to secure promotion as soon as possible when the season resumes, with a blockbuster game against Fulham one of the first if the fixture order stays the same.
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