May 2nd Football Daily Update

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  • England: The Premier League's 20 clubs had a meeting yesterday and decided that the 2019-2020 season must be completed. Another video conference is planned for next Friday on May 8th to decide when the Premier League can start matches again, according to the Telegraph. All Premier League clubs along with some Championship clubs have invested in coronavirus testing machines. The testing machines give back results in about two and a half hours, which cost £36,000 according to the Guardian. 
A Liverpool fan cheering on his team before the pandemic escalated.
Image Source: The Athletic

  • France: As of April 28th, the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 won't continue the 2019-2020 season. 
    • Ligue 1:
      • PSG were declared 2019-2020 Ligue 1 champions 
      • 2nd place Marseille will join PSG in the Champions League group stages 
      • Rennes will be in the 3rd qualifying round
      • 4th place Lille will compete in next season's Europa League 
      • Remaining two Europa League spots remain up in the air.
    • Cup Competitions:
      • The Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue Final can determine the two remaining Europa League spots. 
      • LFP director general Didier Quillot stated that there is a possibility of the domestic cup finals to take place in August. 
    • Ligue 2:
      • Lorient won the Ligue 2 will be promoted to the Ligue 1 with 2nd place Lens
      • Bottom two Ligue 1 teams Amiens and Toulouse will be relegated to the Ligue 2
    • Championnat National (3rd tier):
      • A decision hasn't been made yet if teams will be promoted from and relegated to the Championnat National.

    A picture of when PSG celebrated winning the 2019 Ligue 1
    Image Source: iNews
  • Germany: From all of the top leagues, Bundesliga teams were the first to return to training as the situation in Germany is improving. The government had a meeting on Thursday and as a result decided to wait another week on when the Bundesliga can restart due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) is aiming to complete the 2019-2020 season by June 30th according to Reuters. The remaining matches will take place behind closed doors as  all major events with spectators are suspended until August 31st.
Bayern Munich players preparing for a possible return to matches in the end of May
Image Source: Al Khaleej Today

  • Italy: Italian football clubs were expected to begin having individual training on May 4th, however they will have to wait until group training is permitted on May 18. There are doubts whether the 2019-2020 will be able to resume. Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri states that the idea of Serie A resuming this season ‘seems farfetched’. To make things worse, the Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadaforo declared that resuming the 2019/20 Serie A season is “becoming increasingly unlikely”. According to Football Italia, all Serie A teams expect for Brescia and Torino have agreed to resume the season.
Juventus players training before to COVID-19 pandemic
Image Source: Black & White & Read All Over

  • Portugal: We have some good news too as Portugal's top division the Primeira Liga will officially resume the 2019-2020 season on May 30th, becoming the first major league to restart. The remaining 10 rounds of fixtures will be behind closed doors with Porto and Benfica currently fighting for the top spot. The Taça de Portugal Final between Porto and Benfica will also take place although the exact date and time is unknown as of today. Even though it is also unknown what will happen with the LigaPro (2nd tier), it is expected that it will also resume matches along with the lower tiers. 
Porto's Stadium, the Estádio do Dragão before the pandemic begin
Image Source: Daily Star

  • Spain: Spanish football clubs will be allowed to return to training on May 4th after the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on April 29, that there will be four phases to ease the coronavirus lockdown measures. Yesterday the government approved for every player to be tested starting on May 4th according to the Guardian. On May 11, trainings can begin in small groups and on the 1st of June full training sessions are permitted. This gives fans hope that the leagues in Spain will be resumed in late June.
The Camp Nou during the pandemic
Image Source: The Guardian


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