The FA "will not sanction" the EPL season "being voided or relegation being scrapped." FA Chair Greg Clarke on Monday told club chairmen that that the current season "had to be resolved on the basis of sporting merit even if all the matches cannot be played." The most likely system would be a "points-per-game calculation, possibly weighted to reflect the number of home and away matches that have been played by each club" (LONDON TIMES, 5/11).
While all 20 clubs "want to finish the season," over half the clubs in the bottom half of the table "believe it will be unfair if any clubs are relegated" should the final 92 games be played at neutral grounds. At least six -- Brighton, West Ham, Watford, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich -- have "reservations about proposals" being discussed. They believe that games "would be played in completely different circumstances to the rest of the season so it would be unfair to relegate three teams on that basis." At least 14 clubs need to "back the proposals before games can restart" (SKY SPORTS, 5/11).
