Coronavirus spells uncertainty for footballers and clubs

Drastic measures to help curb the spread of the coronavirus have plunged football into crisis, with leagues across Europe suspended and uncertainty over when play will resume.

A UEFA meeting on Tuesday bringing together Europe's 55 member associations is widely expected to delay Euro 2020, which was due to start in June.

That could free up some space in the calendar for national leagues and European club competitions to be completed in the summer months.

The approach favoured by officials, players and pundits is to finish the league seasons whenever it is safe to do so.

"For the European leagues it is most essential that domestic competitions can be completed this season, to limit the negative impact for the entire football ecosystem," said the European Leagues, which represents more than 950 clubs from 29 countries.

La Liga president Javier Tebas said on Sunday he was "convinced" the Spanish domestic league season would be played to a finish despite a state of emergency in the country.

However, there are extra complications with extending the season beyond its traditional end point in May for every layer of the football pyramid.

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