:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66575142/1210985825.jpg.0.jpg)
The English Premier League is discussing ideas to finish out the season when play resumes amid the coronavirus outbreak. The EPL is looking at isolated ‘World Cup-style’ camps, The Independent reported Monday morning. The camps would be held all over London once the season resumes, potentially in June or July. These games would be played “behind closed doors” and would be televised without the presence of fans.
The EPL regular season had 92 games remaining in it, and The Independent also reported that there is a TV deal in place to televise all of those remaining games. Since there is so much money on the table involved in these talks, it seems very clear the EPL wants to finish out the regular season without any games being missed.
A return in June or July should give the world a chance to flatten the coronavirus curve and provide authorities with ample time to get proper testing in place. The EPL initially didn’t like the idea of this World Cup camps style tourney to finish things out. They’ve warmed up to the idea in recent weeks because of the magnitude of the situation. A “TV Mega event,” as described by the paper, sounds pretty good for EPL fans and bettors anyway.