FORMER LIVERPOOL FAVOURITE Jamie Carragher dismissed the suggestion that the 2019-20 Premier League season should be declared null and void due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The English top flight ground to a halt on Friday following confirmation that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi were among the thousands worldwide who had caught the illness.
With nine games to go, it is still unclear when the Premier League will be able to restart, with a projected date of early April dismissed as unrealistic by some experts.
Karren Brady, West Ham United’s vice-chairman, believes the entire campaign should be ended with no teams declared champions or relegated .
“No escaping the fact now, football in England is entering its most devastating period in 75 years,” she wrote for The Sun.
“There is no dodging the possibility that all levels in the EFL, as well as the Premier League, will have to be cancelled and this season declared null and void because if the players can’t play the games can’t go ahead.
“The PL hopes that an interlude of three weeks from today will enable it to restart but that may well be dreamland.
“So what if the league cannot be finished? As games in both the PL and in the EFL are affected, the only fair and reasonable thing to do is declare the whole season null and void.
“Who knows who would have gone down or come up if the games have not actually been played in full?
Brady, who did add that the decision would be a “huge blow” for Liverpool, 25 points clear at the top of the table as they chase their first title since 1990, attracted ample criticism for her views from irate Reds fans.
Carragher was predictably unamused by the proposal and called for the Premier League to pick up where it left off whenever conditions were appropriate.
“Have a look at Klopp’s comments compared to Karren Brady’s,” he said, accompanied by a facepalm emoji.
“What’s fair is to finish the season for teams in every league when the football is allowed to start again.
“The football authorities found a way to put a World Cup in the middle of a season so I’m sure they can sort next season out.”
Brady’s comments come with West Ham languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, level on points with Watford in 17th and Bournemouth in 18th.
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