Sven-Goran Eriksson admits to being “a Liverpool fan”, but the former England boss is not looking for the 2019-20 season to be forced past the finishing post as “we can’t risk life” trying to get domestic and Champions League campaigns completed.
Competitive football is currently in a state of indefinite postponement during the coronavirus crisis, although various re-start dates have been mooted, with authorities around the world eager to avoid having to declare efforts to this point null and void.
Some big decisions still lie ahead, though, with it impossible to tell when the spread of Covid-19 will be contained and sport can be returned to the global calendar.
Eriksson is among those hoping that teams like Liverpool will be given the chance to get what they deserve, with the Reds 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, but the Swede is aware of the need to favour a cautious approach.
He told Good Morning Britain: “I’m a Liverpool fan so you want me to say forget the season? Should be very, very hard.
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“I guess that people dealing with these things, trying to do the best they can, it’s football, it’s the fans, but it’s a lot of money if you take the bigger clubs in the Premier League, Champions League and so on and the leagues in all the other countries.
“What’s going to happen? I don’t know but one thing must be sure, we can’t risk life trying to finish the leagues and Champions League. We can’t do that.”
He added: “I think some days ago it was the FIFA president at a press conference and he said as long as it’s a risk that one person could die playing football then we shouldn’t do it and I totally agree with that.
“If we want to start the leagues it must be secure, we can’t risk people getting sick, dying just to play football.
“Football is important, football is my life, I love it but life is more important than football.”
One of the hottest topics during the coronavirus outbreak has been the efforts of high-profile players to aid the cause of hard-working health services.
Campaigns have been set up, such as the Jordan Henderson-led Players Together, while a number of teams have introduced pay cuts.
Eriksson, who has worked at leading sides across Europe and with several international teams, added: “I am helping my local club here in Sweden - a third division team, it’s not a professional team.
“They don’t get any sponsor money, they don’t have any ticket money so the club talked to the players and said, ‘what shall we do?’ and the players said they will take less money because the most important thing is the club in this moment.
“They did it and I think all football players should do it. If the club doesn’t get money how they can pay money? It’s common sense.”