Advertisement
Runaway leaders: Liverpool's march to the title has been paused.
Political Football

'Liverpool will win the title one way or another' - Uefa president Ceferin certain Reds will be champions

The Slovenian has dismissed the notion of Jurgen Klopp’s side missing out on the trophy if the 2019-20 season is voided.

UEFA PRESIDENT Aleksander Ceferin says he can see “no way” for Liverpool to be denied Premier League glory, regardless of whether or not football resumes this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Liverpool need only six more points to win a first league title in 30 years, after opening up a 25-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City with only nine fixtures left to play.

However, their coronation has been delayed indefinitely by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has called a temporary halt to the season across all of Europe’s major leagues.

It is not yet known when or if it will be safe for players and staff to return to their duties, with government officials across the world still battling to contain the spread of the lethal illness.

Calls for the Premier League season to be voided completely have been widespread, but such a scenario would see Liverpool’s long wait for an elusive piece of silverware drag on for at least one more year.

Ceferin will be one of the men who makes a final decision on the state of play, and he believes the Reds will “win the title one way or another”, even if it means they are awarded the trophy prematurely.

“I see no way for Liverpool to stay untitled. If the championship resumes, they will almost certainly win it – theoretically, it has not yet reached the guaranteed level, but it is practically close,” the Uefa chief told Slovenian publication Ekipa.

“However, if it could not be played, it would also be necessary to announce the results in some way and find some key on how the champions should be determined. And, of course, again I do not see a scenario in which that would not be Liverpool.

“I understand that fans will be disappointed if it happens in an empty stadium or even at the green table [by officials if the season is avoided], but I believe they will win the title one way or another.”

Italy and Spain are currently the two countries in Europe to have been worst affected by coronavirus, with a combined total of 273,057 cases and 30,321 deaths recorded to date.

Despite the fact that both countries remain in a state of lockdown, Ceferin is “optimistic” that Serie A and La Liga schedules will be completed, although he stopped short of making any guarantees.

“I’m an optimist. I am optimistic that we will see the conclusion of the Spanish championship, I am optimistic that we will see the conclusion of the Italian one, and I am optimistic in general,” he added.

“Of course, I cannot guarantee anything, I cannot promise anything. It will all depend on the situation in the individual countries, it will all depend on whether the circumstances are good enough for you to avoid endangering anyone by playing football.”

Your Voice
Readers Comments
33
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel