Footballing authorities are reportedly braced for a complete shutdown of the sport until at least September due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The whole footballing calendar in the UK is suspended until at least April 3 but The Independent have exclusively reported it could be much longer.
A source has told The Independent that 'the idea we are going to be playing by then [April] is ludicrous.'
Some sources have also claimed the date is a 'time-buying' exercise until the governing bodies decide what to do.
UEFA are set to meet on Tuesday to discuss their strategy moving forward for competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League.
This summer's Euros are also set to be ruled on with early indications pointing to the tournament being postponed until next summer.
The Premier League had originally decided to play all games behind closed doors this weekend to combat the virus.
However, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was diagnosed with coronavirus on Thursday evening which sprung an emergency meeting.
There is currently no protocol for the league to follow considering the current situation meaning a lot is currently up in the air.
One huge point of contention could be the transfer window and players coming to the end of their contracts.
Manchester City midfielder David Silva is an example of a player set to leave his club at the end of the season.
If the league resumes in the summer, it throws a huge spanner in the works - with a number of agents telling football.london that the player contract situation will be a "nightmare".
If the delayed campaign is still going on by the time July rolls around, any players out of contract this summer (June 30) would be unable to play unless they put pen to paper on a new deal.
"From a straight contractual perspective, away from loans, if a player's contract expires on 30th June, I can't see anything being enforceable to make him stay beyond that," a representative told football.london when asked for comment on the matter.
"I can't see that anything could legally override players from saying 'I'm not staying beyond 30th June.' Or clubs from saying, 'We don't want this guy after 30th June.'"
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source https://www.sportbible.com/football/football-news-football-could-be-facing-a-total-shutdown-until-september-20200314
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