The Jupiler Pro League, the top tier of Belgian football, has become the first major football league to end its 2019-20 season early due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an announcement on Thursday, it was confirmed the Pro League will not resume after being suspended following the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, which has all but stopped football around the world.
In an official statement, the board of directors of the Pro League said the decision had been made as it was unlikely matches would be able to take place before the end of June, unless they were played behind closed doors, and even then there would be a significant risk to players and matchday staff.
With the additional factor that players are currently unable to train properly for the forseeable future, it was thought better to end the season immediately.
The recommendation now just needs to be endorsed at a general assembly meeting on April 15, a process which is set to be a formality.
A league statement read: "The Pro League board of directors met today by conference call. The most important item on the agenda was obviously the issue of continued competition in the context of the coronavirus crisis.
"The current situation, particularly precarious, in which our country finds itself has as a consequence that sport is not and cannot be considered as the first concern, however entertaining and relaxing it may be.
"In this context, it is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to make a recommendation, taking into account public health, the interests of all stakeholders and the wishes of the majority of clubs. to not resume competition.
"The Board of Directors has taken note of the recommendations of the authorities, according to which it is very unlikely that matches with the public can take place before June 30. The current situation does not allow us to know if and when a resumption of collective training can be planned.
"In addition, a resumption of competition could not exclude the risks to the health of players, employees and all those involved in the organisation of matches and in maintaining order. In addition, the possible contamination of a player or a core of players risks influencing the sporting development of the rest of the competition in an unacceptable manner.
"Even if closed matches were theoretically possible, the additional pressure that the organisation of such matches would place on health services and law enforcement should be avoided. In addition, the decisions of the local authorities threaten to make it impossible to run the championship days simultaneously.
"The Board of Directors unanimously decided that it was not desirable, whatever the scenario envisaged, to continue the competition after June 30. Taking into account the above elements, the Board of Directors made a unanimous recommendation to not resume the competitions of the 2019-20 season and to accept the current classification of the Jupiler Pro League as classification final, subject to the decisions of the licensing commission."
"In this context, it is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to make a recommendation, taking into account public health, the interests of all stakeholders and the wishes of the majority of clubs. to not resume competition.
"The Board of Directors has taken note of the recommendations of the authorities, according to which it is very unlikely that matches with the public can take place before June 30. The current situation does not allow us to know if and when a resumption of collective training can be planned.
"In addition, a resumption of competition could not exclude the risks to the health of players, employees and all those involved in the organisation of matches and in maintaining order. In addition, the possible contamination of a player or a core of players risks influencing the sporting development of the rest of the competition in an unacceptable manner.
"Even if closed matches were theoretically possible, the additional pressure that the organisation of such matches would place on health services and law enforcement should be avoided. In addition, the decisions of the local authorities threaten to make it impossible to run the championship days simultaneously.
"The Board of Directors unanimously decided that it was not desirable, whatever the scenario envisaged, to continue the competition after June 30. Taking into account the above elements, the Board of Directors made a unanimous recommendation to not resume the competitions of the 2019-20 season and to accept the current classification of the Jupiler Pro League as classification final, subject to the decisions of the licensing commission."
The statement also said the Pro League has set up a working group to look at the sporting and financial implications of the decision, which would also look at whether the remainder of domestic cup competitions could be played.
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