Premier League Clubs Against Potential Restart of International Football in September

Premier League clubs are opposing the possible reintroduction of international football in September, which would come just a few weeks after the conclusion of the domestic 2019/20 season in July and outstanding UEFA competitions in August.

The 2020/21 Nations League was originally scheduled to begin from 3 September, although UEFA will discuss the international calendar this week as part of a meeting of its Executive Committee.

The two-day meeting is scheduled for 17 and 18 June and will initially focus on formalising an acceptable conclusion to the unfinished Champions League and Europa League competitions.

Talks on day one will also cover an update on all national team competitions. That includes discussions on the schedule and venues for Euro 2020, which has been postponed until 2021, the delayed Euro 2020 playoffs and the start of the 2020/21 Nations League.

It is not yet clear how UEFA plan to address the Nations League schedule, although it seems that Premier League clubs are already in agreement that playing in September is a bad idea.

According to the Daily Mail, the European Club Association, which includes the top Premier League sides, will lobby against international football being played in September because of the potential for ‘major disruption’ in preparations for the 2020/21 club season.

As things stand, the original dates for the September international break are actually unchanged as UEFA have until now delayed making decisions on competitions taking place next season. The games, however, are obviously under threat of postponement in light of circumstances.

Premier League football will resume on Wednesday night when Aston Villa host Sheffield United, followed by Manchester City vs Arsenal later that evening. German football restarted last month, while games have also resumed in both Italy and Spain in recent days.

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