League One chairman reveals his masterplan for finishing Sunderland's season in a passionate email to EFL

A League One chairman has revealed his masterplan for completing the 2019/20 campaign – as the EFL board prepare to lay out their next steps.
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Peterborough United chief Darragh MacAnthony has written a passionate email to league chiefs with proposals for how he would ensure the current season is finished.

Fixtures are currently suspended until April 3 following the coronavirus outbreak, but there is a belief among clubs that football will not resume until much later.

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And with the current season up in the air, MacAnthony has laid out plans for how Sunderland and their rivals can ensure all remaining games are played.

Darragh MacAnthony has revealed his plans for the 2019/20 seasonDarragh MacAnthony has revealed his plans for the 2019/20 season
Darragh MacAnthony has revealed his plans for the 2019/20 season

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the Posh chairman showed the email he had penned to the EFL, and the two plans he had put forward to deal with the crisis.

They are as follows:

PLAN A

*Voiding the current season must be taken off the table. The current campaign has to be finished to secure the integrity of the competition.

*As long as the players are back ready to start playing by June, the season could be completed by the first week of July. (Note: MacAnthony wrote his email before a UEFA resolution saw domestic leagues commit to attempting to complete their respective seasons by June 30)

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*Clubs could be given a couple of weeks to get their players back up to match fitness before the campaign resumes.

“Players could be tested regularly for the coronavirus to ensure they are clear when matches take place.

*After the season has finished players could get three weeks off and then return for pre-season training ready to start the 2020-21 campaign in September.

*Scrapping the League Cup competition would free up several Tuesdays and enable clubs to make up for the later start and still complete 46 League games.

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*FIFA must be lobbied to change the transfer window dates to take into account the change in start dates for the new season.

*There must be an amnesty on player contracts. They should be extended by a month to expire at the end of July.

*All loan players should be allowed to stay at clubs until the current season is over. This should be an extra month free of charge.

PLAN B

*If the current season cannot be extended players must report back in the middle of April and games will have to be played behind closed doors.

*Again players would be tested regularly for coronavirus

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*Season ticket holders would be able to watch these games free of charge on a stream.

*Non season ticket holders would be able to pay to watch the games on iFollow.

MacAnthony also called on the governing bodies and Premier League to provide financial support for lower league clubs who may be struggling without regular match day income – suggesting that £600,000 loans should be made available.