Ex-Man United Striker Hughes Says Ending Season Behind Closed Doors is 'Best Case Scenario'

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, former Manchester United and Wales striker Mark Hughes has claimed that the best case scenario for the football season would be for it to be concluded behind closed doors.

Hughes told the radio station that “it’s going to be very difficult” for the football season to resume and that “there is no way” that fans will be able to watch games live.

"It will be different, players will need to get used to playing in empty stadiums which isn't the same, but that is the best case scenario", Hughes added.

Professional sports has been ravaged by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the English Premier League was called off indefinitely in March over fears that the disease could pose a health risk to spectators and players alike, but it has yet to be officially terminated outright.

The Eredivisie and Ligue 1, the top flights of the Netherlands and France, have since cancelled their seasons.

The decisions of the Dutch and French football associations did not, however, sit well with Hughes, who argued against it.

"From my point a view it needs to be played to a conclusion", said Hughes.

"There are so many things that still need to be resolved and unfortunately there are still a lot of games to be played”, the Welshman added.

Cancelling the English football season would pose many problems on both an ethical and financial grounds, as should the campaign be rendered “null and void”, then Liverpool, who sat 25 points clear of Manchester City at the time play was suspended, would be denied a historic title win.

The other solution, which would entail ending the season as it stands and awarding titles and enforcing relegations based on the table as it stood in March, might trigger legal challenges from the demoted clubs, whose financial standing could be greatly impacted by what they might deem to be an “unfair” ruling, giving the exceptional circumstances

The English FA has so far remained committed to playing the out the Premier League season behind closed doors, but whether this will ultimately be possible remains to be seen.