So, the football stopped then!? The sport that never really stops has ground to a halt and there is no sign of it resuming any time soon.
All games are off until at least the start of April, but if the expected trajectory of the Coronavirus continues, and it is thought to peak somewhere around June, there is no way that the season can be completed. We are now very much in unchartered territory.
So what happens now? How do you satisfactoraily complete the competitions that are in full flow? The short answer is that you simply can’t. Whatever happens next will leave some aggreived.
For example, if you say the season ends now and how things currently stand is how they remain, Liverpool will be over the moon, but Aston Villa, not so much. Alternatively you void the season and Liverpool are instead seething, while Villa get away with being run in to the ground.
If it’s not seen as practical to play the European Championships in the summer, will it be any more practical to play out the rest of the domestic season there either? You assume not. Also, you are then in danger of eating in to and disrupting next season. You also can’t start next season any later if you’re planning to play the Euro’s in 2021.
When you factor in all the variables, outcomes and repercussions, it boggles your mind. Will there be a universal plan, or will each country do their own thing? It will be fascinating to see how it all plays out.
As far as Cardiff are concerned, they’re a mid-table side stationed in mid-table. They could kick up a fuss, but the play-offs have always been and remain a long shot. It’s been a season to forget and the irony is that it may literally become a season to forget.
Of course, when people think about these problems, they always fixate on the top of the football pyramid, but it is the teams further down that stand to really suffer. Television money may insulate the big sides, but Football League teams rely on matchday income to stay afloat. Some may go to the wall and people will lose their livelihoods as a result.
What are we going to talk about for the next few months? What are we going to write about for the next few months?!
Financial and moral concerns aside, maybe football will benefit from a fallow period. It sometimes feels like the sport is eating itself, so maybe a little distance and perspective will give everyone the chance to recalibrate and reflect on the game as a whole. What it’s become, what it should be and how it can be better.
It will probably just get more toxic and end up in court though because there is no easy fix for this almighty mess. Cardiff are probably better off out of it.