Two of the biggest and most prominent soccer leagues in the world have announced that they will be resuming their seasons in June. Soccer is a huge part of the fabric in Europe, and the return of these leagues will be a huge boost to the economy in their respective countries.
Major sports in the United States continue to try and find a way to return to action, but most of the major leagues have yet to finalize plans. Sportsbooks throughout the United States are struggling, trying to find sports to take bets on, but the resumption of these two leagues will provide some relief.
English Premier League to Return June 17
The English Premier League developed “Project Restart” to develop plans to resume the season, and teams recently agreed to a proposed start date. The Premier League will begin matches again on June 17, putting an end to a 100-day suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Most teams have nine games remaining on their schedule, but four teams need to play an additional game. Manchester City versus Arsenal and Aston Villa versus Sheffield United will be the first two matches that take place upon resumption.
That will leave 90 remaining games in the Premier League, and the league has come up with a terrific plan to bring plenty of excitement and exposure. Those 90 games will begin on June 19, and all of the matches will be shown on live television.
The league will not play any two matches at the same time, which will provide nonstop entertainment each weekend.
The Premier League is hoping to host the FA Cup Final on Aug. 1, but it could be pushed back to Aug. 8 if needed. There is still a chance that the league will be forced to change these dates, but members of all 20 teams gave their approval to start in mid-June.
The league will hold their next shareholders’ meeting on June 4, and teams are expected to vote on the remaining issues. Premier League officials are considering hosting major matches in neutral arenas to keep crowds from gathering outside of the stadium.
Fans will not be allowed to attend any of the matches, and that is the main reason for the league securing live television streaming for all remaining matches. Liverpool enters the resumption of play in first place, just two wins away from securing the title.
Serie A Ready to Begin on June 20
Italy’s Serie A will also be returning to action in June, as key shareholders have agreed to begin play on June 20. A decision was reached between Serie A officials and the Italian Government.
Italy is currently under a lockdown until June 14, but Serie A will be given the green light to begin play shortly after that date. League officials were hoping to resume on June 13, but that plan was shut down by the government.
One of the stipulations of this plan is that the league may have to shut down again if positive cases of the coronavirus go up again in Italy. Italy has been hit extremely hard by the pandemic, but there is belief that they are past the peak.
Juventus entered the break in first place, but Lazio was just one point behind the leaders. Juventus has won eight straight titles, and the league was hoping to finish the season to make them earn their ninth straight title.
There are also a pair of Coppa Italia semifinal second legs that need to be finished as well as the Coppa Italia final.
