A high-ranking FIFA medical expert is calling for the Premier League season to be cancelled.
FIFA Council and Chairman medical chief Michel D'Hooghe has insisted football should not resume till September due to the coronavirus pandemic.
His comments are a blow to any fans hoping for a restart in the next few months with 'Project Restart' making the news in recent days.
"The world is not ready for competitive football," D'Hooghe told Sky Sports News per The Independent.
Advert
"I hope this can change very quickly and I sincerely hope that. Today you need more patience.
"Football can only be possible if contact is possible again. Football remains a contact sport and contact is one of the first things everyone says that you should avoid.
"If they could start 2020-21 in September they could eventually avoid a second attack from the virus."
The Belgian then went on to explain:
Advert
"It's still about social distancing. Testing is an important point but you have to repeat them (tests). If one of the players becomes positive, you have to put the whole group into quarantine. Is that a solution for a normal competition?
"We do not know when it will reach its peak in different countries, it will be different in every country. The solution will only be there the day there is an adequate vaccination programme."
The news came on Tuesday, the same day the Ligue 1 season was effectively cancelled due to France's ban on all sport until September.
Advert
D'Hooghe also stressed the virus should not be brushed aside and that it's as 'dramatic' as World War II.
"It is a terrible responsibility at the moment - the most dramatic situation we have lived in since the Second World War," he stated according to The Sun.
"You cannot play in the Premier League when players have to remain two metres apart.
"Have you tried playing football in a mask? This does not avoid social distancing. Players are together on the field, in the dressing room.
Advert
"Of course, you could say, 'Let's play behind closed doors'.
"But even then, you will see groups of fans coming secretly together in rooms just to support their team anyway.
"Testing is such an important point - but you have to repeat them.
Advert
"If one of the players becomes positive, you have to put the whole group into quarantine.
"Is that a solution for a normal competition? Football has to be patient. It has to listen to the authorities and respect the basic health rules."
Do you think the Premier League season will be finished?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Liverpool, Football News, Football, Premier League, Coronavirus