Sunderland CEO Jim Rodwell has this message as row over fate of League One season breaks out

Sunderland CEO Jim Rodwell has insisted that the League One table should be settled ‘on the pitch, not in a meeting room’.
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The Black Cats were one of six clubs on Thursday night to publicly state their desire to pursue a resumption of fixtures this summer.

Though a definitive vote and decision is not expected, League One clubs are set to meet on Friday to discuss their next steps amid growing calls for an early conclusion to the campaign.

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A number of clubs have voiced their concerns about playing behind closed doors, while many feel a return is not realistic given that Rick Parry has set to a deadline to conclude by July 31st.

Sunderland support a return to action behind closed doorsSunderland support a return to action behind closed doors
Sunderland support a return to action behind closed doors

In their latest communication with clubs, the EFL issued the latest set of protocols for returning safely to training, but pushed the date for doing so back to May 25th at the earliest, and also confirmed that it is still trying to establish the practicalities of the kind of testing programme that would be required for players and staff.

Southend United have already called for the season to be declared null and void, while Rochdale CEO David Bottomley said that his club had on Thursday become the first club to propose curtailing the campaign and settling on a points-per-game basis.

Sunderland and a number of their rivals have therefore responded ahead of the summit.

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“We face various challenges to complete the season, but we feel we owe it to our supporters and players, and the game, to ensure our remaining fixtures are fulfilled,” Rodwell said.

“League tables are decided by what happens on the pitch, not in a meeting room.

“Together, we know that we can overcome those challenges and when it is safe to do so, end the campaign the right way. “

Oxford United, Peterborough United, Portsmouth, Ipswich Town and Fleetwood Town all issued statements of their own.

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Oxford United managing director Managing Director Niall McWilliams said: “Karl [Robinson] said it in his interviews last week: we want to play.

“Obviously that’s not going to be easy and I don’t envy the EFL trying to find a way to make it happen but as a club we would love to finish the job that we started all those months ago and try to win promotion on the pitch.

“It feels like society is slowly taking the first steps back towards normal life and that inevitably means people asking when we are going back.

“Everyone sees the speculation and the different scenarios and we spoke to a number of clubs this week just to try and gauge opinion. Our message to them, and to the fans remains the same. If a safe way can be found for football to return then we will be ready.”

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Speaking for Portsmouth, chief executive Mark Catlin said: “We owe it to supporters, staff, sponsors and football in general to do everything that we can to get this season completed.

“There are difficulties in achieving this and we fully understand that, but there is no need to currently make any kneejerk decisions in regards of voiding the season until we have all the information required to make an informed decision on the subject – ranging from safety, which remains our primary concern, through to the financial implications, both for this season and beyond, of taking such a drastic and momentous course of action.

“Even if the season goes on longer than we would all like, for the integrity of the sport we feel we should give it every opportunity to reach a natural – and, of course, safe – conclusion.”

Ipswich Town confirmed on twitter that owner Marcus Evans had written to the EFL, stressing that the campaign should be finished on the pitch.

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Fleetwood Town owner Andy Pilley echoed that sentiment on his own twitter account, while it was Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony had earlier this evening been the first to declare the group’s intentions.

Posting on twitter, he said: “I have been asked to relay this message on behalf of Oxford United, Fleetwood Town, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Ipswich Town and Peterborough United to the EFL and the media ahead of our League One meeting tomorrow morning.

“We as a collective are united in our goal to finish this season. We have no desire for voiding the season, PPG scenario’s/letting a computer decide our footballing fate. For our fans/staff & for the integrity of our sport we are all looking forward to completing our pending fixtures/season under guidance from the EFL at a time it is deemed safe to do so. Thank you for your time.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden earlier this evening released a statement confirming that the government would support a behind-closed-doors return in June, saying that doing so should ‘include widening access for fans to view live coverage’ and that any return should ‘ensure finances from the game's resumption supports the wider football family’.

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Following talks with the Premier League, the FA and the EFL, he added: “We all agreed that we will only go ahead if it is safe to do so and the health and welfare of players, coaches and staff comes first," said Dowden.

"It is now up to the football authorities to agree and finalise the detail of their plans, and there is combined goodwill to achieve this for their fans, the football community and the nation as a whole.”