Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Steve Bruce proposes 'festival of football' to help finish season
Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Steve Bruce offered his thoughts on how the season could be completed as football authorities begin to consider contingencies for the likelihood of many more weeks without football.
The Newcastle United boss, who left Hillsborough under something of a cloud just three weeks before the current season started, has proposed a ‘festival of football’, with games played and broadcast every day in order to pack the remaining fixtures into an already busy schedule.
Football is currently scheduled to resume from April 30, but it is understood to be highly unlikely that it will be considered safe to do so as the coronavirus crisis continues to take hold.
Bruce also hinted at the possibility of scrapping cup competitions next season in order to free time up as well as the Premier League’s ‘winter break’.
“We have to try and get this season finished, whatever that takes, everybody wants that. But we must also remember that the health and safety of players and staff is far more important than football,” Bruce said.
“We should not return to training until it is absolutely safe to do so.
“We can have a ‘Festival of Football’ month, games every day, teams playing two or three games a week. It is not ideal, but if we can play 10 to 15 games in December and the start of January, we can do it to get this season finished.
“It probably means the start of next season will be delayed, we will probably have to scrap one of the cup competitions and do without a winter break, but it can be done.
“Whatever, however, we will find a way.”
Yesterday the EFL released a statement that read: “The Premier League, EFL and PFA agreed that difficult decisions will have to be taken in order to mitigate the economic impact of the current suspension of professional football in England and agreed to work together to arrive at shared solutions.
“The leagues will not recommence until 30 April at the earliest. They will only do so when it is safe and conditions allow.”