Paul Barber, CEO of Brighton, believes it would be’ unbelievably unfair’ if Liverpool were denied the title of Premier League.
There have been rumors in recent days that the season could be null or void due to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus, which killed 21 people and infected more than 1,000 people in the United Kingdom.
The virus has wreaked havoc on the sporting world, with almost every major sport postponing or cancelling their main events in order to limit the spread of Covid-19.
This contributed to concerns about the date the Premier League could end and whether Euro 2020 was postponed for at least one year.
Chief Brighton Barber insisted that completing the league is a must.
He told Football Focus: “There’s probably about 200-300 things on this list that we’re working through to try and prepare ourselves for every eventuality.
“Our priority and the Premier League’s priority is to play out the remainder of the season, that’s what we all want, that’s what the fans want and it’s what the clubs want.
“But we also have to be realistic, we really don’t know where this virus is heading, where we will be on the 4th April, when we intend to start playing games, and whether we can complete the fixture list.
“We’ve got to look at every eventuality, we’ve got to think about people, about the players and our coaches, but we’ve also got to think about the fans coming to the stadium and how they get to the stadium, usually through public transport, and therefore all the implications of that as well.”
He added that: “There’s a lot to think about it, and we have catering contracts, sponsorship contracts, the tickets that we’ve sold, hospitality, so many items that go on a week to week soccer club, matchs to matches, and we are all on that same boat, facing an unimaginable sitting.
“As much as it’s difficult in the Premier League, I also feel for some of our colleagues in the lower leagues who rely so much on matchday income.”
“We don’t want to go down this option because every league starts with an expectation of completing all the fixtures and we really want to be able to do that. Our intention must be to try and complete matches but we’ve got to put people’s health first.”
Barber also made it clear that it would be extremely unfair on Liverpool, who are leading the current standings by 25 points, not to be awarded the title if it was postponed.
“At the moment, it’s really hard to imagine putting on a football game in the Premier League in two or three weeks time,” he continued.
“It’s hard to imagine that given the scenario that we are in.
“If we were to freeze the league, then for me it would be incredibly unjust for Liverpool not to be awarded the title because I think everybody in the game appreciates what a fantastic season they’ve had and what a wonderful team they are.
“But equally, it would be incredibly unjust for teams to be relegated when there is still games to play and the financial consequences of that are difficult, and it’s equally unjust for Leeds and West Brom to not be promoted because we know how hard it is to get out of the Championship, we know how hard it is for teams to even get to this stage of the season in the top two.”
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