March 2020

The Premier League will resume talks over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic at its next club meeting on April 3.

Officials are supporting the European Leagues, the body which represents more than 900 clubs in 32 professional leagues, as working groups at FIFA and UEFA hold further talks in the coming week.

The Telegraph reports that the Premier League is tentatively scheduling a plan which involves games starting from June 1, behind closed doors, which would allow it to finish the season in time for the start of the new season on August 8.

Sky Sports News has been told a return date of June 1 is one of several dates put forward for consideration, but clubs did not discuss fixture modelling in detail during an emergency call on March 19.

It is hoped clubs will have more details from the government and football working groups to support their discussion at a scheduled meeting on April 3.

Clubs will not be asked to agree to a decision until it receives a greater understanding of when the pandemic will reach its peak in the UK.

The Premier League will not put any strain on the emergency services, in particular ambulances, and must adhere to the requirements of a stadium safety certificate, even for games behind closed doors.

Competitions, including the FA Cup, outline requirements for medical professionals on site, such as club doctors and, in some cases, offer compensation for ambulances.

The Premier League has suspended its games until April 30 at the earliest, in a joint agreement with the Football Association, EFL, women's professional game, Professional Footballers' Association and League Managers Association.

UEFA has postponed Euro 2020 by a year and the FA board agreed for the current domestic season to be "extended indefinitely".

"We are in unprecedented times and our thoughts are with everyone affected by COVID-19," said a statement on Thursday. "We are united in our commitment to finding ways of resuming the 2019/20 football season and ensuring all domestic and European club league and cup matches are played as soon as it is safe and possible to do so."