AFC Bournemouth has confirmed the suspension of the football season until “at least the end of April” as coronavirus spreads throughout the country.
The decision is the result of lengthy discussions between the sport’s governing bodies, the Premier League and EFL in light of the pandemic.
In a statement, released earlier today by the professional football bodies in England, they explained the reasons for taking this action:
“We’re united in our commitment to finding ways of resuming the 2019/20 football season and ensuring all domestic and European club league and cup matches are played as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.
We’ve collectively supported UEFA in postponing Euro2020 to create space in the calendar to ensure domestic and European club league and cup matches have an increased opportunity to be played and, in doing so, maintain the integrity of each competition.
The FA’s rules and regulations state that ‘the season shall terminate not later than the 1 June’ and ‘each competition shall, within the limit laid down by The FA, determine the length of its own playing season.’
However, our board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019/20 season in relation to professional football. Additionally, we’ve collectively agreed that the professional game in England will be further postponed until no earlier than Thursday 30th April.
The progress of COVID-19 remains unclear and we can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”
AFC Bournemouth have reassured fans that tickets for fixtures during this period will be valid for the rescheduled dates, including official club travel tickets for away fixtures at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United. Anyone who cannot attend rescheduled games for which they have tickets will be given a full refund, and they will provide further details on this as soon as possible.
For further information about AFC Bournemouth and to access updates, visit their website, Twitter feed or Facebook page.