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AFC extends postponement of competitions owing to coronavirus

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has postponed all football games and competitions scheduled for May and June until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic, the continental governing body said on Tuesday (April 14).

The Asian Champions League, Asia's elite club competition, has been severely affected with its schedule of the group phase thrown into disarray since the tournament began in February.

The second-tier AFC Cup was also suspended last month due to the Covid-19 disease that has infected over 1.9 million people globally and caused more than 120,000 deaths as of Tuesday.

 

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France's Ligue 1 could restart in June

France is considering restarting Ligue 1 on June 3 or June 17, with the latter date more likely, sports daily L'Equipe has reported, citing a document from league organisers (LFP).

Football in France was suspended indefinitely last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday (April 13) French President Emmanuel Macron extended the lockdown in the country to May 11.

The L'Equipe report said that if the season resumed on June 17 teams would have to play every three days so the regular campaign could end by July 25, leaving time for relegation and promotion playoffs to be completed by Aug 2.

 

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Bournemouth latest Premier League club in furlough U-turn

Bournemouth became the latest Premier League club to reverse a decision to apply for financial assistance from Britain's furlough financial aid package on Tuesday (April 14).

With vast swathes of British industry shut down because of the coronavirus, the British government launched a scheme that sees 80 per cent of wages up to a maximum of £2,500 a month (S$4,400) guaranteed during the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

But Premier League clubs faced a huge backlash for trying to utilise the scheme for non-playing staff without reducing the much larger salaries of their highly-paid footballers.

 

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EFL, PFA strike deal for clubs to defer 25 per cent of player wages in April

The English Football League (EFL) has agreed a “compromise proposal” with the body representing the country’s professional players allowing clubs to defer 25 per cent of their wages for April amid the new coronavirus outbreak, it said on Tuesday (April 14).

Professional football in England has been suspended since March 13 due to the pandemic with several clubs putting non-playing staff on leave.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) previously accepted that players would have to be flexible and share the financial burden of the impact of the virus, which has infected nearly two million people globally, killing more than 120,000.