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The former winger says soccer must be flexible when the sport begins again, even if that return is delayed for many months.
Former Liverpool star John Barnes says his former club should not receive the Premier League title unless the season is completed with promotion and relegation.
The Reds maintain a 25-point lead over Manchester City’s second place as the league awaits a return from suspension caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Recently, a June restart has been the goal of Premier League clubs, who will seek to follow the Bundesliga leadership and return to end the season.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says the clubs discussed the possibility of shortening the season for the first time on Monday, although there is no concrete plan on how that would happen.
In the Netherlands, the Eredivisie halted promotion and relegation for the season and awarded the Champions League and Europa League places in the current table, although Ajax did not receive the title.
And Barnes says Liverpool should not receive the Premier League title unless certain standards are met.
When asked if he thinks the Reds should receive the trophy today, he said that Emma Barnett Show: “Not if people are not going to be promoted and relegated, no.”
Barnes says he believes soccer should be resumed if, and only if, it is completely safe for players to do so.
That can take time, and time can be financially inconvenient in a world where soccer is a big-money business, but Barnes says ending the season the right way should take precedence.
“Obviously you’re talking about a lot of money, a lot of money, but that’s for playing games,” he said. “We are not talking about that. We are talking about when players can start training safely, distancing themselves socially.”
“We can do it right away. The different question is when can we start playing again and, for me, you should take your time. No matter how long that takes.”
“Or we say that we will never play again or that we can play, whether it be one year, two years, whatever we decide, why can’t we finish the nine games and then start the next season consecutively? The players will have had three, four months, five months, six months off.
“There is no need for more free time, going straight to the next season with the teams that should be relegated and the teams that should be promoted.”
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According to Barnes, that return doesn’t necessarily have to fit into a traditional calendar, as the former England star said the soccer world must understand that flexibility can be used as an advantage.
“Soccer, school, life is not like Christmas. Christmas should be December 25,” he said. “New Year’s Day has to be January 1st.
“School doesn’t have to be, soccer doesn’t have to be from August to May. In fact, you can adjust, particularly at a time like this where we have to, and it’s not making sacrifices, it’s just changing the schedule. It’s what what do we have to do.”
