FIFA is soon to confirm an ‘indefinite extension to the 2019/20 season’ for football leagues worldwide, leaving the decision on the leagues’ faith up to each one of the different associations to decide for itself.
As published on The Athletic on Monday, it was also mentioned that FIFA will also schedule dates for the summer transfer window, and will allow contract extensions for players who are signed until June 30.
The full program is designated by FIFA’s COVID-19 working group and is likely to be published in the next few days. If the two implementations mentioned above will take place, it presumably will allow the football world the flexibility it needs.
On Saturday, the COVID-19 working group published more significant recommendations regarding the near future of world football.
Part of FIFA’s COVID-19 Working Group’s proposals for the international game (FIFA Media)
While UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, has denied marking August 3 as a deadline to complete all European competitions, the situation indeed seems flexible enough to enable a sustainable road to solution for the lost season of 2019/20 - at the very least not voiding the season off or any other of the dramatic ideas offered so far.
While different solutions are thrown out in the air, it is clear that the situation is being learned on-the-go, and that the destiny of this season is still unknown. What will be a proper solution for Saudi Arabia, wouldn’t necessarily be the same for England, and what might work out for Brazil wouldn’t be the same for Argentina or France.
In this case, the haunting question still remains- it’s still more of when or if the game of football, that is a life-defining field for billions around the globe, will come back anytime soon.
Will football fans see such scenes anytime soon? French fans are celebrating their national team’s victory in the 2018 World Cup (Pierre Herman, @lepipotron / Unsplash)