Leeds Chief Executive Angus Kinnear said it would be a “huge disgrace” if England’s top two divisions were unable to complete their seasons as major leagues across Europe would return to action.
Kinnear, writing in the Yorkshire Evening Post, said, “It would be a national embarrassment if the Bundesliga, La Liga or Serie A were to be able to complete safely and the first and fifth-biggest leagues in the world were not able to follow suit if the context remained comparable.”
Referring to the return of the Bundesliga last weekend, Kinnear said it was vital for both the Premier League and the Championship, which both rank as one of the largest leagues in the world in terms of attendance, to continue the campaign on the pitch.
“England had some of the finest sports scientists and football administrators in the game and the time has come for us as a sport to stop repeatedly framing the challenges and start delivering on the solution,” Kinnear wrote.
Take for example, the Premier League. Premier League players have begun returning to training this week after being tested for coronavirus.
With a total of six players and staff testing positive from the 748 results revealed so far, Kinnear said, “[they] gave a firm indication of how manageable this challenge is becoming.”
The EFL, which is around a week behind the Premier League, has drawn up its own preparation procedures while also announcing that if play is not possible, divisions will be decided on a point-per-game basis with promotion and relegation being applied.
“If Leeds United wanted to be opportunist we could have seized on this ‘point per game’ commitment to push for an early curtailment in concert with some already very vocal self-interests,” Kinnear wrote.
“However, our intention has always been to do all we can to complete this season where we started it – on the pitch.”
He also said the championship leaders are keen to complete the pitch plan, even though the drop will see them win points-per-game promotion.
