West Brom supporters’ club chairman hopes there is a way to finish
Albion supporters’ club chairman John Homer hopes the footballing authorities can find a way to finish the season once the coronavirus crisis has been brought under control.
It remains unclear when, and if, the 2019/20 campaign will resume – with governing bodies discussing their options as the country remains in lockdown.
Declaring the season null and void or playing behind closed doors into June and July are all realistic options on the table.
Yesterday, though, Belgian chiefs cancelled their season and crowned Club Brugge champions with no teams relegated and two teams promoted.
Albion and Leeds have sat in the Championships top two for the vast majority of the campaign.
But Homer doesn’t believe the Belgian model can be replicated in England and those teams can just be promoted.
“In Belgium there are only two divisions, there is no League One or League Two equivalent,” he said. “I think it’s fair to declare the season over if all the teams have played the same number of games.
“But we aren’t in that position in this country.
“Voiding the season would be terrible for everybody concerned.
“It would be terrible for us and the other teams who has aspirations for promotion.
“It would be terrible for Liverpool, who deserve to win the Premier League, and what about Sheffield United or Wolves – they have a great chance of qualifying for the Champions League which is incredible really. Voiding the season would be desperate.
“I would like to see them try and finish the season, but that depends on how long this goes on for.
“There is precedent, though. Historians will know that the latest finish to a football season was 1946/47 when there was a very bad winter and the season finished in the middle of June. It can be done.”
