No Guarantee' Liverpool Will Be Crowned Premier League Champions if Coronavirus Halts Season
It's hardly the main concern with the coronavirus at present, but as the epidemic sweeps the globe and plunges governments, airports and entire cities into a state of crisis and shutdown, its impact on football is really beginning to be felt.
The Chinese Super League has been suspended until further notice, while Serie A fixtures are being postponed as a result of an outbreak. Even Euro 2020 is at some risk.
And while the UK has things reasonably under control as things stand, with only 19 confirmed cases in a country of close to 70 million people, there are still fears the virus could have lasting implications on the Premier League.
The Telegraph report that there are no specific regulations in place for how the FA would handle a situation where the government postpone sporting events in the UK - something they say is becoming an increased possibility as the virus spreads.
That is of course still a distant eventuality and would require things to take a dramatic turn for the worse, but if it were to happen, even Liverpool's 22-point lead at the top of the Premier League may not be enough to secure their first crown.
While it might only seem fair to hand Liverpool the trophy since they are all but guaranteed to win it should the 11 fixtures play out, the report notes that the same standard would likely have to be applied across the division were that to happen.
That would mean relegating the current bottom three, even though at least two would feel they have a decent chance of playing their way out of trouble throughout the remainder of the season.
The Telegraph note that 'crisis talks' would take place in the dystopian future scenario in which sport is halted for more than two months, in order to come up with a solution that would cause the least controversy. They also note that the decision may depend on what percentage of fixtures had been played at the time of the stoppage, so the longer the season goes, the less likely the virus is to deny Liverpool their title or relegate the likes of Norwich, Watford or West Ham prematurely.
Even Serie A have not completely abandoned the season yet, even though they have more 20 times as many confirmed cases as the UK, so it is likely we are some way from this becoming a reality.
It's more a mild uncertainty than anything to actually worry about at this stage, in truth, but Liverpool fans might just be hoping they have mathematically wrapped up the division by the time a decision has to be made.
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