Belgian football chiefs end season and crown Club Brugge champions ahead of Premier League chiefs’ coronavirus summit
BELGIAN football chiefs have CANCELLED the season and crowned Club Brugge champions - with the Premier League set to hold a crisis meeting on Friday.
All European football has been called to a halt, with the exception of Belarus, as coronavirus tears through the continent.
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A host of leagues are set to discuss how best to react, with cancellation just one of many options.
But Belgium have refused to wait any longer, reacting first and calling the season off for good - with just one game left in the regular season and Club Brugge 15 points clear at the top.
The Jupiler Pro League's board of directors voted unanimously for the outcome and it is now just pending the endorsement of the general assembly on April 15.
That, though, is expected to be a mere formality, according to HLN, as Club Brugge clinch their first title since 2017-18.
The Premier League is currently one of many clubs on lockdown until April 30.
KEY MEETING
With that deadline now just four weeks away, English top-flight chiefs are set to meet on Friday to discuss the next steps.
The usual season-ending deadline of June 1 has already been waived by European football bosses.
Many divisions - including the Premier League - are now considering completing the season in the summer.
One report claims PL bosses are considering holding a behind-closed-doors quarantine camp in the Midlands in a bid to get the season over the line.
But cancellation is another very real option.
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MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
Then it would be up to chiefs to decide whether to gift the title to runaway leaders Liverpool - like Belgium have with Club Brugge - or whether to declare the season null and void.
However, handing the Reds the title would also send Norwich, Aston Villa and Bournemouth down - and Leeds up from the Championship.
The knock on effect would be felt throughout the Football League, with many clubs desperate to see 2019-20 scrapped and played over.