Premier League suspended indefinitely, will resume when it's 'safe & appropriate'

As the global cases of the novel Coronavirus have shot past 1.1 million, Premier League have announced that the 2019-2020 season will not be cancelled and will resume when it is safe and appropriate to do so. The announcement was made following a shareholders' meeting on Friday morning.

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PL to not cancel league

A statement released by the league read: "It was acknowledged that the Premier League will not resume at the beginning of May – and that the 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so. The restart date is under constant review with all stakeholders, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic develops and we work together through this very challenging time."

"The Premier League is working closely with the whole of professional football in this country, as well as with the Government, public agencies and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the game achieves a collaborative solution. With this, there is a combined objective for all remaining domestic league and cup matches to be played, enabling us to maintain the integrity of each competition. However, any return to play will only be with the full support of the Government and when medical guidance allows. The sporting and financial implications for Premier League clubs as well as for The FA, EFL and National League were considered at today’s meeting," the statement further read.

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The last Premier League match was played almost a month ago on March 10 between Leicester City and Aston Villa. No match had taken place since then due to the pandemic which has infected more than a million people globally and has claimed over half a million lives.

There has been an increasing pressure on football clubs to do more for the society. Earlier this week, UK health minister Matt Hancock had said that Premier League soccer players need to take a pay cut as Britain battles the pandemic. PL has decided to donate £125million to Football League and National League teams to help with their cash flow problems amidst the pandemic.

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A £20 million donation will also be given to NHS and all vulnerable groups.

Announcement of a revised date of resuming the league will be made when it is safe to continue the league once again. 

Liverpool leads the table with 82 points from 29 matches and have a gap of 25 points over defending champions Manchester City. The Merseyside club was expected to win the league and secure the trophy by March-end if the season had continued but will have to wait regarding the final decision.

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