Here’s a round-up of fixture reschedule-related news you should be aware of in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
Events so far
As the number of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continued to rise daily in the UK and throughout the world, The FA, Premier League and EFL released a joint statement on 19 March 2020 offering some clarity on the current standing of the 2019/20 season. The FA Board agreed that the deadline for completion of 2019/20 season (normally fixed at 1 June) would be “extended indefinitely”, suggesting that the season WILL be completed at some point in the future.
On 26 March 2020, The FA confirmed that all football matches below the National League divisions will “end immediately”. This decision has split opinion with many clubs in those lower divisions supporting a joint letter to The FA to express their disappointment with the decision.
In a further joint statement by the FA, Premier League and PFA on 27 March 2020, the three organisations spoke of the need to make “difficult decisions” in order to mitigate the current impact of coronavirus on English football. The statement maintained that the season would not resume until 30 April 2020 at the earliest and only “when it is safe and conditions allow”.
On 31 March 2020 (and possibly after reflecting on the reaction to the decisions taken by other governing bodies and leagues) the National League issued a statement confirming that the competition will be “suspended indefinitely”. This statement has been met with mixed reaction and some misunderstanding as to its true meaning by those involved and who follow the National League.
UEFA announced on 1 April 2020 that all competition matches will remain postponed until further notice. This includes all national team matches for men and women due to be played in June 2020. All UEFA youth national team competitions scheduled to be played this summer have been cancelled.
What do the English Rules and Regulations say about fixtures and competitions?
The FA Rules of the Association is clear that the playing season “shall terminate not later than 1 June” and “each competition shall, within the limit laid down by the FA, determine the length of its own playing season” (8)(a). By extending the league season, the FA Board has acted within the remit set out in these Rules.
The Standardised Rules set out by the FA also indicate that “the Board may change any competition fixtures during the season to suit the overall interests of the Competition” (8.7). As the season is still technically ongoing, the FA Board would not be acting beyond its powers by rescheduling fixtures to a later date in accordance with this rule.
At present, all tiers of English football have been suspended further until at least 30 April 2020, but this is subject to change. There is now little doubt that the season will go beyond 30 June which is the natural expiry date for the majority of player contracts. We have considered the implications for clubs, agents and players who may need to seek contract extensions in this blog.
There are other logistical issues that football authorities in England, Europe and internationally via FIFA, will need to address, which could have potential knock-on effects on future seasons and competitions:
- How will fixture rescheduling affect the current UEFA competitions? Both the Champions League and Europa League are currently in the last 16 phase of their respective competitions. If the competitions are to resume, it seems inevitable that the fixtures will be played behind closed doors. The difficulty is in how the relevant football authorities decide how to juggle the fixtures, while co-ordinating the remaining league game fixtures.
- How will fixture rescheduling affect the FA Cup competition? As above, the FA have a decision to make in terms of rescheduling the competition around the remaining league fixtures. It seems clear that the priority is ensuring that the league seasons are completed so it will be interesting to see how the FA cup is handled this season and in future seasons. A number of pundits have suggested scrapping the cup all together to make sure that the Premier League season can be concluded in good time.
- When will the summer transfer window open? The Premier League rules stipulate that the transfer window can commence either (1) at midnight on the last day of the season, or (2) at midnight on the date 12 weeks prior to the date on which it is to conclude. It is worth noting that the transfer window must close at 17:00 on the Thursday prior to commencement of the season or at such other date/time as the Board may determine in its discretion. The possible implications on the transfer window have also been considered in this blog.
- When will the 2020/21 season commence? If the new season were to commence in October/November 2020, could this mean that domestic cup competitions will be removed from the calendar to ease fixture congestions? If so, the commercial impacts on EFL League 1, League 2, National League and “non-League” clubs, who rely on match day revenue from cup competitions, could be drastic. National League clubs are already reeling from the indefinite suspension of their leagues and non-league clubs have been told that all non-league football (in steps three to seven) have ended as of 26 March 2020 with no promotion or relegation. The abolition of all domestic cup competitions will only add to their financial difficulties.
- What effect will a late start to the 2020/21 season have on international fixtures and competitions such as the Nations League and UEFA Euro 2020? UEFA Euro 2020 has already been suspended until June 2021 and there is speculation that this will in turn mean that the Women’s Euros, due to be hosted by England in Summer 2021 and played at a number of Premier League grounds, will also need to be pushed back. A late start in the 2020/21 season will no doubt result in a late finish to the season. The removal of non-essential international breaks for friendly games and Nations League games could assist in easing fixture congestion, ensuring that league seasons across Europe are completed in time for Euro 2021.
It is understood that FIFA has established a working group to tackle some of these issues but there is still much to be decided.
If you have any queries about how your club should be dealing with any coronavirus related issues, particularly how these schedule changes may affect your commercial agreements, then please contact Lydia Edgar or Andrew McGregor or another member of our Sports Sector team here.
