MOT View: Leeds get restart date, now end date reportedly agreed too – promotion countdown is on
Dates are starting to fall into place for Leeds United.
ESPN reported yesterday that the EFL was targeting a return date of June 6 for the Championship, with teams resuming full training on May 16.
Now it’s been reported by Spanish radio station Cadena SER (via Football Italia) that domestic seasons will end in “early” August.
That’s per an agreement between the European Club Association (ECA) and UEFA.
That would see the leagues finish before the European club competitions were then completed.
While there’s no specific date mentioned, the report does say “Providing the deadline of early August is met the 2020-21 campaign can then start in September”.
EFL chairman Rick Parry said last week that the Championship could get done in 56 days, including the two-legged play-off semi-finals and a final.
If games do kick-off again on June 6, 56 days would take us to August 1, which would fit in with the early August end date.
Then the play-offs and European club competitions would play out, with the 20/21 season starting in September.
That would see the Leeds players get a really healthy break before (hopefully) readying themselves for life in the Premier League.
It’s exciting stuff. With behind-closed-doors friendlies reportedly set for the end of May, we might only be six weeks away from watching Leeds play again. And just over four weeks before we see the players together again at Thorp Arch.
The countdown to the Premier League starts here.
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