The lawyers will be out - regardless what decision the EPL/ FL make

act of god which ever one it is case dismissed

Q. What do you call a thousand dead lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?

Clubs will only be bringing cases if the season is voided.

It won't be voided. The 2019/20 season will be completed before any other one starts.

Nothing else makes any sense. If you scrap this one and then start 2020/21 in September, what happens if the virus surges again in the winter ? Void that one too

Broadcasters and fans are not going to keep paying for competitions that are never completed.

It is simply not possible, at this time, to make definitive declarations of how this will play out.

If the Premier League and EFL are voided, but National League continues as it is, what on earth happens to the top teams in the National League?

Two leagues which are co-dependent are doing different things.

That said, the lawyers for Liverpool are going to be much more important than bottom two of the Football League / top teams in National League.

We really do need to stop trying to formulate a solution before we know the problem that we are trying to solve.

So what is the point of any of these threads, posts etc

Logically completing the season - whenever that can be done - solves all these legal issues/controversies.

Nothing else does.

They will have come up with a cure for Corona by the winter, they're already working day and night on it.

It's very possible indeed that the season could be voided, but with 9/10 games left + 2/3 for lower league play offs, it's makes most sense or the PL and for other European leagues, to just cancel all European competitions and domestic up competitions, and finish all domestic leagues instead, playing Saturday/Wednesday/Saturday/Wednesday if need be.

I can't see the league restarting on April 4th all, would probably restart early May at the earliest.

So what is the point of any of these threads, posts etc

It's surely not taken you all this time to realise that the forum is pointless

I've attended countless meetings over the years where I've had to aggressively stop people from prematurely entering solution mode.
It's a very common human trait

i agree with barney, the lawyers are salivating whatever is decided.

Q. What do you call a thousand dead lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A. A good start

I really do not like lawyers.
Although, one of my favourite phrases is borrowed from the legal world.

“For the avoidance of doubt .... “ is a wonderful phrase that I have used on numerous occasions.

just because people charge hundreds an hour doesnt make them any more proficient than people in low paying jobs.

Mar 14, 2020 -- 8:46PM, tobermory wrote:

Clubs will only be bringing cases if the season is voided.It won't be voided. The 2019/20 season will be completed before any other one starts.Nothing else makes any sense. If you scrap this one and then start 2020/21 in September, what happens if the virus surges again in the winter ? Void that one too Broadcasters and fans are not going to keep paying for competitions that are never completed.

Nobody can be this certain, not even the clubs, so I don't know why you are. Life goes on, a virus or act of God could arrive during any season and you'd never start one by that logic.

'Nothing else makes any sense' - you are ignoring the financial and contractual issues which are the most important issues for the majority of clubs who will still have to pay wages when the TV cos, esp the international ones who now pay more than half, want some money back. Sense doesn't really come into it when money is involved. The Clubs in Euro comps stand to lose a lot more as well. They will all want as many matches played and televised as possible but at some point in the near future they are going to have to pull the plug on it and negotiate a settlement. Players aren't even training together for the foreseeable and that will delay things further.

The latest talk is increasing the PL to 22 or 23 and lowering it again over a season or two with the likes of Leicester getting a CL qualifying place, so voiding is definitely being considered on some level. The issue of expiry of contracts is a major headache which can be solved by voiding. If I am a free agent like David Silva in June am I going to sign a 3 month extension at City and risk getting injured at my age when I have a big deal waiting for me somewhere else?

Voiding the season (or just declaring it complete with the current standings) causes a whole load of legal and credibility issues. Clubs that are big businesses losing out on CL qualification. You say give Leicester a CL place. Nice for Leicester. But what about clubs a few points off the Top 5 that could have made it. Clubs like Atalanta and Leipzig in the CL quarters told that is your lot ....

And what exactly would be achieved by voiding the season ? (no one seems to answer this) So the next season could proceed normally ? What if it is stopped for a year ? By not completing this season you run the risk of having 2 seasons voided or never played.

Players with contracts about to expire is hardly a situation created by this virus. David Silva would have been running the risk of getting injured in May for City without this. It is up to him whether he would stay at City on a month to month basis or leave for a long term deal elsewhere.

By the sounds of it Tober has a big green on Liverpool to win the league

There are 9/10 matches left in the league, in theory it's possible to conclude fairly quick if you play sat/wed/sat/wed which could then finished in a month or so, though tough on fans and players not used to that, physically and financially. Ironically if there was no winter break which Klopp wanted so badly they would be a game or 2 closer to finishing.

I actually was green on them but I redded out in September as my City liability was too big The only PL market I have left that looks good is the H'Cap where I am +£360 on Sheff United (9 pts clear with a game in hand) and small green the other possibles.

I am just not seeing what the advantage of voiding this season is. People are talking like voiding this one guarantees the next season can go ahead without a hitch.

I didn't say give Leicester a CL place. What has been mooted is to let the same clubs in as last year and extend the qualifying rounds and let clubs like Leicester in, playing off among themselves in each country if necessary, that would include other clubs in with a shout.

I'm not sure if Silva has agreed a new deal with anyone, but he was free to talk to other clubs since Jan and the norm is to have another deal (on much higher wages as he is a free agent) agreed long before the end of the season. He is not going to want to sign a short-term deal with City when he will likely have a more lucrative longer deal with someone else and which will be his last chance to earn big money before he retires. He could eg have a monster deal lined up in Qatar with Xavi at Al Sadd in a country not affected by the virus at a club willing to take him in July for all we know.

What if it goes on for a year? What if someone drops a nuclear bomb tomorrow? why bother playing football at all if he seaon mightn't finish? Life goes on, you don't plan for acts of God or war like that.

Clubs like Atalanta and Leipzig in the CL quarters told that is your lot .... what does this mean?

What exactly would be achieved by voiding the season? bringing it to a conclusion satisfactory to the majority when it can't be concluded due to force majeure or act of God.

And clubs and TV companies, who are embedded with them in this, getting financial certainty, which none of them have as long as this continues, and being able to quantify their losses from this crisis and move on knowing what their financial position is going forward. Do not underestimate the importance of this to the owners and TV companies. It's more important than football to the majority of them.

Atalanta and Leipzig are in the quarters, something that never happened before, and maybe their best chance they will get in their history to go further, but the season is abandoned.

Have extra play offs for the CL ? Already it seems a bit optimistic to have 9 months to play next season, (which is 11 months if you have the usual CL qualifying process !) but adding extra qualifiers on top.........

If you are talking about starting next seasons CL with the same clubs as this season then it is basically a repeat of a competition that was 3/4 of the way through.

Abandoning this season when no one has any idea whether it will be possible to start a new one in August is plain stupid. You may end up with only 6 months to play 2020/21, so it won't be possible to have a 38 game season next year anyway. Or a 44 game season if the teams that might have been relegated are reprieved and Leeds/West Brom allowed up.

Just complete this season and base the next season on whatever time is available.

Somebody has to lose out one way or another. Liepzig/Atalanta will lose out through no fault of anyone. That'slife, tough shít. The game is more about money nowadays than anything else. It's going to be an agreement between the football authorities, (primarily the big) clubs and TV Cos. If you think that what is best for fans or minnow clubs like Atalanta and Liepzig is a consideration you are deluded. There won't be one fan at the table hammering out the deal to decide what happens, only businessmen/women.

The only way fans will get a decent outcome is if it just happens to tie in with what the clubs agree financially, which it might - their starting position will be to get as many games played and televised as possible. But the longer the crisis continues the longer the financial uncertainty continues and that will eventually be unacceptable to the majority and a deal will be concluded.

My point is that voiding is a very real option, not immediately but based on the projected life of this crisis right now and you should look at it from a business and financial perspective rather than a fan's perspective because everything will be decided by businessmen, not fans. Their main concern is money coming back in the door when it is píssing out in wage bills with no gate receipts, the prospect of reduced TV money and potentially having to refund a portion of season ticket money. The TV cos are going to lose subscriptions if they haven't already, which they should by now if punters have any sense. They will all have to suck it up until the footy can resume but the longer it goes on the more likely voiding becomes and right now we only know that this crisis is likely to last until June at least but potentially longer. And the longer it goes on the more dead there will be and the less important this season and football and even money will be in the overall scheme of things.

Freezing the PL, Liverpool champs and letting WBA and Leeds in next year and having play offs for CL/EL places will satisfy almost everyone in the circumstances and mean a lot less games than finishing the entire season. Will reduce the prospect of legal actions too. The crisis is predicted to last until May/June at least but if it is under control by then then that is an option with the new season starting on time. That is what the clubs are considering currently because it could fit the expected timeline currently and finishing the entire season doesn't currently.

In Atalanta's case I don't think they'd be too peeved with another year of CL money. They are 4th and 3 points ahead of Roma with a game in hand but with 13 games left. I'd say they'd be happy enough in crisis circumstances where no footy can be played.

If this crisis continues past July with the amount of dead I reckon the will to draw a line under this season and move on will be huge when the crisis eventually gets under control and footy can be played again and there might be no more games played this season at all, Just freeze it and move forward in tragic circumstances.

From a business and financial perspective people pay for the right to broadcast or view a particular season. If the season is not completed then they will not be happy.

And you certainly don't want to set a precedent that any season you buy the rights for can just be cancelled and tough luck. Broadcasters and Sponsors will be hesitant to commit to any future deals.

We have no idea how much of the 2020/21 season will be available for games to be played. If it is only 3 or 4 months then the logical thing would be to just complete this season and vacate 2020/21. How dumb would it be to void this season and then find you can't play 2020/21 anyway (when there would have been enough time to complete this one).

At least hold off on a decision until we know when play can resume.

Precisely, you can’t provide an answer until you know the question.