Cancelling the 2019-20 campaign is now a very realistic prospect, says Glen Johnson, with it difficult to see how Liverpool can be crowned champions and clubs sent down if the season is not finished.
Premier League football has been pushed back until the end of April at the earliest, with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic leading to an indefinite delay in fixtures.
There have been suggestions that the campaign could be declared over, despite the vast majority of those in the top tier being only nine games away from the finishing line.
If that were to be the case, then big decisions would have to be made on whether the crown is handed out – with Liverpool 25 points clear at the summit – and if relegation and promotion matters are pushed through.
Johnson feels authorities may be left with no choice but to write everything off, with the former Chelsea and Liverpool defender telling Betdaq: “With football being delayed for an unknown amount of time, plenty think we won’t get this season done.
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“But what does that mean in terms of the title, European qualification and relegation? At the top of the table, we all know Liverpool are going to win the league, but the major issue is will there be time for them to be crowned?
“If the season is cancelled and the title is awarded to Liverpool, every person on the planet, except Liverpool fans, is going to say they didn’t win the league.
“As things stand, Jurgen Klopp’s side are in a no-win situation because there is no way the players will want to win the league in that manner. It’s incredibly harsh on them as they’ve been streets ahead of their rivals this season, but the way things are going it might all be for nothing.
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“In my opinion, if things don’t change pretty swiftly, we’ll have to cancel the season. It’s a pretty extreme measure, but if you look at the other end of the table, you can’t just relegate clubs based on their position in the table after 28 or 29 matches.
“It’s pretty likely that at least one of the current bottom-three will get out of it with the amount of time left in the season. The difference between survival and relegation is life-changing and whether or not a team stays up makes a difference in so many areas. Staff might get sacked and budgets might get cut if a club goes down, whereas it could be the polar opposite if they stay up.
“It’s the same in the Championship and the other leagues. Imagine if you’re sat in third place, just a point off automatic promotion and you miss out on going up.
“Every side is going to throw punches from their corner and almost all of them are going to feel hard done if the season is stopped now, so I think in order to be as fair as possible, we have to say this season didn’t happen. You can’t just give Liverpool the league and say to the others; you’re not as important.
“In short, you have to give Liverpool the league and relegate those currently in the bottom-three or cancel the season altogether.”
Johnson is not of the opinion that schedules should be completed behind closed doors either, despite that option providing a possible solution to the problems currently being encountered.
The ex-England international added: “Before football was postponed, the majority of matches were played behind closed doors and I can imagine it’s a pretty weird experience for the players. It was never something I had to do in a competitive match and I’m not sure it would have been much fun.
“I did play in a few during pre-season and at the training ground and it was quite hard to get motivated for them, which is one of the huge benefits of playing at packed-out stadiums around the world.
“The fans make it such an amazing atmosphere and the adrenaline is there before you even start, so having no fans around in a big, competitive game would be odd that’s for sure.”