Sunderland and League One clubs await key decision as rival makes bold claim

And Peterborough United’s director of football Barry Fry refuses to believe clubs will vote in favour of declaring the current League One campaign null and void.

Fixtures in the EFL have been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the Black Cats’ last game coming at Bristol Rovers on March 10.

And with clubs yet to return to training, and no firm return date set, the EFL are reportedly set to call time on the League One and League Two campaigns this week – with reports clubs are set to vote for the season to be ended immediately.

Promotion and relegation would then be decided using a ‘weighted points-per-game’ formula, it has been claimed. That would see Coventry City, Rotherham United and Oxford United promoted to the Championship.

EFL chair Rick Parry told a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee this week that the season would have to be completed by July 31 owing to contractual issues, and this is now presenting logistical difficulties.

Posh are sixth and occupy the final play-off spot, with Sunderland seventh, having slipped out of the top six following a four-game winless streak before the shutdown.

Fry, speaking on Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony’s ‘Hard Truth’ podcast, said: “We can’t give in. EFL clubs should be sticking together and making sure we finish what we started and determine promotions and relegations on the field.

“I can’t believe clubs will vote for what I’ve heard about today. I speak to loads of managers, owners and club officials and 9/10ths of them tell me they want the season to finish.

“In our case our owners got together last summer and put together the biggest budget in the club’s history. We had one aim and that was to win promotion and we are on track to do that with nine matches to go.

“To have the chance to fulfill that ambition snatched away because some clubs don’t want to play any more would be a disgrace. It would also be a disgrace if the Championship is allowed to finish, but Leagues One and Two are called off.

“I know the Championship clubs fancy the £160 million they can make from reaching the Premier League, promotions are just as important to clubs in the lower divisions.

“If it does happen I can see many writs and many rich lawyers. You can’t just change the goalposts when four fifths of the season has been played.”