With the F.A. Premier League’s (F.A.P.L.) “Project Restart” as yet understandably without any definite dates, but Germany’s Bundesliga set to go on 16 May, Premier London Derbies (PLDS) looks at what is happening to F.A.P.L. Clubs in the European competitions. Matches in the last 16 round were postponed and competition suspended in the Champions League for 17 and 18 March, and in the Europa League for 19 March. In early April the E.U.F.A. (European Union of Football Associations) President Aleksander Ceferin said, with Europeanclarity, they had plans A, B, and C to restart in mid-May, or June, or the end of June!
After last season’s bumper year for F.A.P.L. and PLDs Clubs this season is an anti-climax. Both last season’s Finalists Liverpool and beaten Tottenham Hotspur are out, and Chelseaare 3 away goals down to Bayern Munich. Manchester City won 1-2 away to Real Madridand have a better chance of the quarterfinals. Arsenal are out of the Europa League where Wolverhampton Wanderers are reviving memories of their exploits in Europe of the 1950’s, having the home tie to come, being 1 all with Olympiakos. Manchester United are a comfortable 5 goals up against LASK, that is Linzer-Athletik-Sport-Klub of Linz in Austria.
If this season’s European competitions can not be restarted perhaps the prize money will be just shared out between the remaining Clubs in the competitions, but that is probably too easy and fair for E.U.F.A. whose perennial primadonas will want “their share”. If football does not restart in all the European leagues how will the places for next season’s competitions be decided? Previously E.U.F.A. said it would be “on sporting merit”. That was not defined but is easy to see in the Netherland’s Eredivisie which will not complete this season where Ajax Amsterdam, who survived last year’s plundering of their good team, are top and unsung AZ Alkmaar second. In the F.A.P.L. the current top 4 Clubs include Manchester City in second place who have appealed against E.U.F.A.’s suspension of them from European competitions for the next two seasons for breaking so-called Financial Fair Play rules. Surely not even the Court of Arbitration for Sport and E.U.F.A. can regard that as having “sporting merit”. Without them 5th placed rivals and improving Manchester United would be in the Champions League, and Wolves (6th) and Sheffield United (7th) in the Europa League, but no Spurs (8th) or Gunners (9th). Now that is real “sporting merit”!
Until next time keep safe and if you are an essential worker “thank you”, Andrew at PLDs.