THE Premier League and Championship could return with almost all 200 remaining matches broadcast live for fans to watch, with some free on YouTube.
The top four divisions in England have been suspended since March 13 and the authorities are working hard to figure out how and when the season can continue.
Football fans may be able to watch almost all of the remaining 200 matches in the Premier League and Championship when the season resumes” width=”960″ height=”560″ />
All matches are going to be behind closed doors with the Premier League’s Project Restart looking at a June 12 date to get action back underway.
The Times report that TV schedulers and broadcasting partners are looking at how to get the 92 Premier League and 108 Championship fixtures played and screened.
The report suggests that three or four matches would be played every day with staggered kick-off times – except on the final day where games start at the same time.
And it is understood the government would support the games being live on TV – even those at 3pm on a Saturday – because it would encourage people to stay at home and watch rather than groups of fans congregating at the grounds.
The Premier League and EFL could also make the most of their channels, with as many as 45 of the 92 remaining top-flight games possibly shown for free.
However, football resuming still has some issues that need to be resolved before any balls will be kicked.
One of the most pressing concerns is getting clubs to agree to playing at neutral venues.
Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers Association, believes the Premier League season could be axed completely if clubs are unwilling to comply.
Six teams, including Brighton, are believed to be against surrendering their home advantage in the run-in with so much money on the line.
Seagulls’ chief Paul Barber told the club’s official website: “We fully appreciate why playing behind closed doors is very likely to be a necessary compromise to play our remaining games while continuing to fully support the government’s efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.
“But, at this critical point in the season playing matches in neutral venues has, in our view, potential to have a material effect on the integrity of the competition.”
Fellow strugglers Watford, West Ham, Bournemouth, Norwich and Aston Villa are the others understood to be against the plans.
Meanwhile, as revealed by SunSport, nine Premier League clubs are ready to let stars duck out of Project Restart over concerns they will infect vulnerable loved ones.
Almost half of the sides now accept it is impossible to force stars back into action if they fear falling ill or infecting their family with Covid-19.
The growing list includes teams fighting it out at both ends of the table — as club bosses finally start listening to players, who are scared about being rushed into scenarios they feel are unsafe.
One source said: “If someone has a partner who’s pregnant, or close family who has cancer, how can we force them to play in those circumstances?”
And another major factor that needs resolving is the issue of relegation.
Some clubs have warned that they will only back Project Restart proposals if the threat of dropping into the Championship is taken off the table.
But SunSport revealed the FA has the power to BLOCK any Premier League plans to axe relegation from the top flight, even if all 20 votes are in agreement.
