The task is to finish the season: when will European football return?

Top leagues are set to resume in May, and European cup finals are due at the end of the summer.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, life has come to a standstill in many areas, and sport is no exception — athletes, like many others, have found themselves in quarantine with no way to even train. For professional footballers, who regularly cover around 12 km of running at high speed over the course of 90-minute matches, such downtime is undesirable, but football seasons still have to be completed. Otherwise, clubs in the civilized world, which depend on television contracts, will face very difficult financial problems. That is why the main football bodies, of course, are doing everything possible to bring the game back, at least to television screens, even if not to spectators in the stands.

England (Premier League)

• Football suspended: March 13
• Current stage: matchdays 28-29 (of 38)
  

On Friday, April 17, representatives of Premier League clubs held another round of talks via video conference on the future of the unfinished season. Although all the clubs are united by the idea of completing this season at any cost, they are not yet naming a specific date for the return of football in the country, citing uncertainty over the further development of the pandemic in Britain.

Earlier, authoritative local media reported that the Premier League could resume in May in the hope of finishing the season by June 30. The idea is understandable, since many players' contracts expire at the end of this month (as, for example, Willian of Chelsea or Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham).

Premier League officials say several scenarios for resuming the championship are being developed, however, as Sky Sports reports, the option of finishing the season by June 30 was not discussed on Friday.

The Independent writes that it has obtained a letter sent by the leadership of the English Football League to all clubs, recommending that training resume on May 16, with matches resuming in June. However, this is only possible if the coronavirus restrictions in England begin to ease, having been extended by another 3 weeks the day before.

The Times reports that, according to one of the proposed schedule models, the remaining 92 Premier League matches could be completed within a 40-day window.

Spain (La Liga)

• Football suspended: March 12
• Current stage: matchday 27 (of 38)
  

Spanish clubs also plan to complete the ill-fated 2019/2020 season, but in the case of the Iberians, there are somewhat more specifics. According to El Mundo, players of the clubs in the two top divisions must begin training sessions by May 10. They will be tested for the coronavirus on a daily basis.

Sources at the country's second-largest print publication claim that the remaining matches of La Liga and Segunda, according to the plan of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), should be completed starting in early June and ending in late July.

Germany

• Football suspended: March 13
• Current stage: matchdays 24-25 (of 34)

As recently as last week, Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert hinted that German football could return as early as the beginning of May, with the championships likely ending by the end of June. However, the country's official authorities are so far postponing consideration of such an early resumption of sporting events.

Although the figures for new infections and recoveries in Germany have already leveled off, and the German government is speaking of control over the situation, the question of resuming football matches has been postponed until at least April 30.

Since mass events in Germany have been canceled until at least August 31, fans can hope to watch football from the stands only in the next season, 2020/2021.

Italy

• Football suspended: March 9
• Current stage: matchdays 25-26 (of 38)

In Italy, football is expected to return between late May and early June. The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, will present such a plan for the return of domestic championships to the government.

In an interview with Rai's Radio 1, Gravina said there would be no point in giving up on football if all players are healthy. "Games should resume between late May and early June," Gravina said.

Teams are scheduled to return to training on May 4, after which they will presumably need about 3 weeks to get into the required physical shape.

European Cups

• Football suspended: April 1
• Current stage: second legs of the Champions League round of 16, first legs of the Europa League round of 16

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is provisionally planning to hold the finals of the main European club tournaments at the end of August — after all the leagues have been completed.

According to the idea of European officials, playoff matches would begin to be completed in June behind closed doors, and would end with the Europa League final on August 27 and the Champions League final on August 29.

Vasily Obaraz, TK Media