France cancels season, but Premier League want to restart
France has banned football until September, but the Premier League and the British government are still set on restarting the season when they can.
The French government has today put an end to any hope of football returning in the nation this summer, as football has been banned until September, effectively putting an end to Ligue 1 and Ligue 2’s 2019-20 seasons. More details will be available in the coming days, but for now, all we know is that the seasons are canceled by order of the government.
This comes after the Dutch Eredivisie canceled their season last week, with no champion being crowned for the season, leaving Ajax furious.
Despite these worrying trends emerging in other nations, the Premier League and the British government continue to have their sights set on restarting the 2019-20 season sometime this summer.
The Premier League and the government have both been criticized since the start of this pandemic due to their delayed responses, along with their insistence on restarting play despite the risks it puts on public health.
Of course, if football does return in England this summer, it would almost certainly be behind closed doors, with maximum measures put in place to ensure the safety of all players and staff involved.
All Premier League players who are currently abroad have been asked to return to England by next Tuesday.
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) April 28, 2020
This looks to be the next step in 'Project Restart' as the league looks to give clubs and players a suitable mini pre-season before returning to the pitch. pic.twitter.com/gtkEaOqmwK
There are a few reasons the Premier League is so determined to finish the season, with broadcasting revenue being the biggest one. This is a key area of revenue for the league, and it is also where they are superior to all other divisions in the world. In short, the broadcasting revenue the Premier League receives is what makes it the biggest league in the world, and losing a big chunk of that due to the pandemic is going to make a big impact on all 20 clubs and the league itself.
‘Project restart’ is still very much on the table for the Premier League, and clubs such as Arsenal, West Ham, and Brighton have already partially opened their training grounds in a bid to prepare for the eventual restart.
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June 8th is currently the targeted date for the restart, although there is still a chance that plans will have to change as the situation continues.