Match Day Thread Premier League, Cups & Euro Watch

Void isn't an option now as it's not considered by them to be 'sporting '. It leaves each domestic league with the decision that suits them best as long as European places are given out by merit.

Belgium have ended their season declaring Brugge champions and the Scottish premier look to maybe do the same so there are a few options being seen already. Harder for the Netherlands as two teams top the league - separated by gd - and their government has banned all sport till September so they more or less know that even behind closed doors isn't an option. Cancelling the league and freezing places as they are in order to comply with UEFA 's directive on sporting merit being used to determine European places has caused a real furore though, legal cases being pursued. The KNVB were hardly sporting in the voting method used to go with cancelling as well which will be interesting to see whether or not UEFA regard that in itself as 'sporting'.

 

Having read the UEFA guidelines, there are only 2 circumstances that will merit premature termination of a league - a government order prohibiting sports events so that leagues can't be completed in reasonable time before the next season start and second reason - insurmountable economic problems.

Netherlands early termination, which isn't a void, fits the criteria but Belgium's termination doesn't so it will be interesting to see if Belgium are allowed to participate in European competitions.

 

We'll be in lockdown until at least the end of July imo, if so then the league is ****ed

 

I think we will be out of lockdown a lot sooner based on talks I've had with a couple of doctors. Personally I hope we won't be out of it too soon but sadly people are already breaking it.

 

The amount if people out and about today was like any other Saturday in the year

 

People are having parties every Thursday on Westminster Bridge. The government has refused to stop them and so lost the moral argument to refuse to allow people to attend things like funerals. The lockdown is a joke.

 

The last five weeks have been for nothing if we release the lockdown before it's safe. We have an immunity test, supposedly, on the horizon for June (though there's still concerns that that you're not immune anyway if you've had it once), so wait at least until then.

 

I think that's the big thing here. It's all well and good wanting to get back to normal, but it's pointless if it just results in a second wave especially if, as you also mentioned, people might not actually be immune - still no confirmation on this. The worst thing they could possibly do is get carried away and end the lock down early, although given that they were also late to begin it, I have zero hope in them to make the right call on this.

 

Quite right lad, you go out and do what the **** you want in whatever country you are in, **** em and their virus.

 

I agree with both of you, the lockdown needs to stay in place for a good while yet. A test using rapid diagnostic technology has been approved by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and St George's, international prototypes test completed and waiting for Public Health England to confirm it can be rolled out. I believe it's a blood test with results showing in 10 minutes as to whether the person tested has Covid 19 antibodies. It will be a very good start on the road back to some sort of normality.

 

Serie A back in training next week and Arsenal open training ground today. Slow, slow steps but forward movement nonetheless.

 

Premier League targets behind closed doors return in June
All 20 Premier League clubs will hold their latest conference call on Friday
https://www.skysports.com/football/...ue-targets-behind-closed-doors-return-in-june

 

It's looking more and more likely.

 

Yeah. It's going to happen

 

Yet some people are happy for the season to be declared null and void.

 

UEFA won't allow a voided league so one way or another the top European leagues will decide how to finish the season with playing it out being the option of choice atm. Should circumstances change, the choices will be narrowed.

It's interesting that most media outlets have picked up on UEFA stating European places must be decided on sporting merit when that phrase has been used by them going back as far as you like as to how leagues are to determine CL and EL places. UEFA have never said how those spots are to be handed out other than 'on sporting merit'. If you look at how they have been determined in the past, it's exactly how UEFA want them determined, by league position, premature termination of leagues or not isn't going to alter that.

UEFA also used the term sporting merit when altering the seeding system for the CL in 2014. The change in system meant that instead of using a club's UEFA coefficient to decide which pot they went into, the 'change of policy was agreed on the basis of "sporting merit " (Infantino). He went on to say 'people had difficulties in understanding how the champions of a country is in a lower pot than the third-ranked in that country '.

As far as anything that UEFA say, for "sporting merit " read league position. There is no need for any mental gymnastics in regard to how European places are determined.

 

There’s no need for mental gymnastics as sporting merit covers basically every single way of determining the places except for a lucky dip! They are being purposely vague and allowing countries to make their own decisions to make sure they’ve got a full competition next season. It’s all about the money, not about the sport.

 

It doesn't though. Sporting merit is only league position. You can look at every UEFA season guideline, they are all available to read. You can look at the reason given for altering CL seeding and read the same phrase. it has one meaning and one meaning only, league position. There's absolutely no question about it.

 

Pay attention to @johnsonsbaby

"Sporting merit" has a lot of precedence when used by UEFA

UEFA doesn't give a **** what you consider "sporting merit" to mean

 

No problem, when the season is scrapped we will just put the clubs through to the UEFA competitions who are sitting in those places at time of scrapping therefor those who have achieved it through "sporting merit" at that point.