Premier League plans to resume season in May to avoid £762 million rebate

Premier League authorities are working on plans to restart the current season as early as the beginning of May. Although the season might be resumed, all games are set to be played behind closed doors because of the unprecedented spread of the coronavirus.

It has also been reported that the season might finished by July 12. The league administrators are eyeing the date because if the campaign crosses July 16, the league will have to pay massive TV contract rebates. If that happens, the international and domestic TV rights holders might demand as much as £762 million.

The plan to resume the competition is itself an ambitious one. The only viable option available is to conduct the season behind closed doors.

The proposal will be discussed on Friday during a video conference involving the 20 clubs. However, the decision of the Premier League alone won't be enough,. The government, the PFA, and public health bodies must also endorse it to make it a reality.

As of now, organising and finishing the remaining part of the tournament is the best way for the league authorities to mitigate morel legal dangers and financial losses that have been caused by the coronavirus shutdown.

The Premier League is keen to complete the current season because of its financial reliance on the broadcasters. The league's £3 billion-a-year deal with the broadcasters will expire on July 31, and the next season's deal will start the following day.

Understandably, the broadcasters are losing subscribers at a staggering rate. Consequently, they are constantly pushing the Premier League to provide a clear view at the earliest on whether their schedule will return to normal.

Daily Mail reports that over the last few days, there have been a series of informal talks between the club executives and July 12 has been decided as a possible date to finish the competition. However, it is clear that if more cases of Covid-19 are registered, the initial plan to restart the tournament at the beginning of May might not be feasible.

Football and all other sports in the UK have been suspended, as the region's coronavirus cases cross the 22,000-mark. A total of 1,408 deaths have been recorded in the UK.