The resumption of the 2019/20 Premier League season has moved a step closer, with play now expected to return over the weekend of 19th/20th June.
Play has been halted in the Premier League since March due to the coronavirus, and while other leagues in Europe have decided to cancel their seasons, authorities in England have continued to stress their desire to complete the 2019/20 campaign.
Players recently returned to small group training in what was the first step towards the resumption of the season. And in a vote on Wednesday, all 20 top flight clubs agreed to return to full contact training.
June 19/20 being mentioned as start date. Would allow seven weekends + six midweeks for 9 league games (10 for four teams) and 3 FA Cup rounds, before planned restart of Europe in first week of August. Precise detail may emerge from tomorrow’s meeting. Still at discussion stage. https://t.co/xsQZc6ILSi
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) May 27, 2020
A number of dates have been suggested with regards to the restart of the season, ranging from 12 June to 26 June, but Simon Stone of BBC Sport has now reported that 19 June and 20 June are the two dates being ‘mentioned’.
16 teams have nine matches left to play, while the remaining four still have ten games to go. Should the season resume on these dates, this would allow seven weekends as well as six midweek slots for a round of fixtures to be played.
Three FA Cup rounds of fixtures would also need to be fitted into the schedule during this time, and the plan would be to complete these games before the planned restart of European football in the first week of August.
The Premier League moves one step closer to a return. pic.twitter.com/aQWJ038bLN
— 90min (@90min_Football) May 27, 2020
However, Stone further added that no final decision has yet been made and it is still at a ‘discussion’ stage. There is another meeting on Thursday between Premier League clubs and, in this, a firm date is expected to be set, while the fixture schedule will also be discussed.
Moreover, the Premier League are also said to be keen to see the 2020/21 campaign begin in the middle of September, placing even further pressure on players and clubs.
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