Coronavirus crisis: Resume, delay or cancel the season altogether? The options facing English football

Why has the season been suspended?

Initially, last weekend's round of fixtures in both the Premier League and EFL was scheduled to go ahead as planned, even when Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the coronavirus outbreak as the 'greatest health challenge' for a generation.

The Government, at that point, were only 'considering' banning major public gatherings such as sporting fixtures, however the situation changed dramatically on Thursday evening. No sooner had the Premier League and EFL confirmed fixtures would go ahead than it was announced that Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, had tested positive for coronavirus.

Chelsea's Callum Husdon-Odoi followed a few hours later and it was at this point when it became clear games could no longer go ahead for the health of all those who attend matches, not least the players themselves. Arsenal's squad had to be put in self-isolation after coming into contact with Arteta, soon to be joined by players at Chelsea, Leicester and AFC Bournemouth. Those teams, for obvious reasons, could not fulfil their fixtures and therefore it made sense to call a halt to proceedings and take stock of the situation.

What are the options?

There are several options currently being explored by the EFL and Premier League and more information should come to light over the coming days with the various footballing authorities due meet. Here are the options that will be on the table...

Resume on April 3, finish in May: This is the most desirable option for all concerned. The football season would resume early next month, as currently scheduled, with enough time in the calendar to complete it by the end of May. The League Two campaign this year is due to end on April 25, meaning Cobblers' four postponed fixtures could be rearranged in May.

The problem, however, is that the coronavirus pandemic will likely only get worse, not better, between now and April and it's hard to see how football can resume while the country is plunged into a health crisis. It will also only take one footballer to test positive for coronavirus for the rest of that team's squad to be put in self-isolation for 14 days, cancelling all of their fixtures in the process.

Therefore, it seems highly optimistic that the season will resume on April 3.

Behind closed doors: Should mass gatherings be banned by the Government as expected, putting matches behind closed doors is one possibility. This would put less strain on the emergency services as they get to grips with the height of the health crisis while allowing for the season to be completed.

However, there are a whole heap of issues that come with this. It's unfair on supporters for one thing, it risks financial meltdown for lower league clubs who rely heavily on gate receipts and it also doesn't provide a workable solution should footballers become infected.

Postpone the Euros, delay next season, play in the summer: This seems the most likely scenario. It is anticipated that UEFA will postpone this year's Euros at an emergency meeting on Tuesday, creating space in the calendar to finish the domestic season in the summer.

The problem? Again, there's no guarantee it will be safe to play matches even by the summer. If the Government's forecasts are correct, the peak of the coronavirus will not hit the country by the end of May or the start of June. That may mean resuming the season in July, August or possibly even September and delaying the start of next season, creating a knock-on effect.

Even so, that would surely be preferable to the one remaining option (below). Cobblers would pick up their campaign inside the League Two play-offs - whenever that is - and have nine games to maintain their position. It might result in a shortened 2020-21 campaign, with one or two cup competitions potentially paying the price and being temporarily scraped.

Another consideration is players who are out of contract at the end of July. Do you award them short-term contracts to finish the season? Can EFL clubs afford the funds to do so? And what about the transfer window?

Cancel the season altogether: The nuclear option. It will want to be avoided by almost everyone - bar, seemingly, Karen Brady - but authorities may have no choice if the pandemic continues to cause chaos across the country.

One option is to void the season, write it off and start afresh next year, a nightmare scenario for Liverpool and Leeds supporters, among others. The alternative is to finish the season based on the current standings, so Liverpool would win the Premier League tile while teams currently occupying promotion spots in the three EFL divisions would all be promoted.

But this will leave a lot of other clubs and fans unhappy, the Cobblers being one. Having put themselves in a position to challenge for promotion, they would have to start all over again next season. It's also unfair because, with nine or 10 games still to go, teams have all played different opponents up to this point. Some may have played all the teams at the top of the division, others may have played teams struggling near the bottom.

All other alternatives would have to be exhausted before cancelling the season is even considered.