The Egyptian Premier League remains halted as the coronavirus grips the sporting world and no clear conclusion is in sight yet.
The top-flight league was suspended on March 14, 2020 after the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) placed on hold all the football activities in the country in the wake of the deadly virus.
The Premier League clubs have a combined 342 games left to play in the 2019/20 season and there is plenty still to be decided.
While Al Ahly are on the top of the log with 16 points separating them against second-placed Arab Contractors, the relegation battle is still open with over seven teams in the danger zone.
So far, Egypt has confirmed over 3,000 cases of COVID-19 which shows that the situation is clearly evolving day-by-day compared to 52 cases that were there before the league was put on hold.
However, EFA member Mohamed Fadl disclosed on Sunday that the federation is discussing the resumption of the Premier League.
“We will hold a meeting with the clubs during the coming days to introduce a suggested plan and get their opinions about it,” Fadl told a television programme on Sunday.
“We are thinking of completing the league at specified stadiums and hosting the teams’ crews at specified hotels.”
Fadl stated that it’s clear that EFA remains determined to complete the current season to avoid it being written off completely.
“We will give the clubs a period of three weeks to a month to prepare for the league’s resumption,” he added.
It is understood this is one of many ideas under consideration, with the 18 clubs due to convene again by conference call next week.
There has also been some confusion regarding what will actually happen if the Egyptian Premier League schedule is completely and irrevocably compromised by these disruptions.
“We will first inform the concerned authorities, as the decision is in the hands of the government,’ Fadl noted.
“If we receive the green light from the government, we will discuss the matter with the clubs. In this case, we would be the first country in the world to resume the football league.”
There are a number of difficulties with the resumption idea, not least how to deal with the necessity to have medical staff on hand during a public health crisis, and how the format could survive with even one positive coronavirus test.
