Rangers legend, Ally McCoist, has re-iterated his stance on Talksport that Celtic (and Liverpool) should not be awarded any title without completing the season first.
Speaking on the breakfast show and reported by The Daily Record, McCoist explains why he thinks, regardless of how close a team might be, it is impossible to just proclaim the current leaders as winners.
So what has McCoist said?
Rangers greatest ever goalscorer feels there are more important issues than the top of the table if leagues were just called to a halt:
“It’s horrible. Liverpool, in particular, and Celtic, clearly, look as though they’re going to win the title.
“The way Liverpool have performed, they’ve been absolutely first class, a joy to watch. And nobody can say that they don’t deserve it.
“But, I’m sorry, I’ll stick by my opinion, I don’t care if they only need a point.
“The fact of the matter is they haven’t won it. It’s a disaster, it really is a disaster.
“My opinion is you have to win it. The issue is, and I keep saying, isn’t so much champions, it’s the other end of the table that is more important.
“If they’re going to say Liverpool and Celtic are champions, that’s a decision for the association or UEFA to make. But are they going to do the same with the bottom of the league and say: ‘That’s it finished, you’re relegated’?
“Somebody tell me, how can you possibly relegate Aston Villa who have a game in hand and could go four places up?
So is McCoist correct?
Absolutely, the financial implications in relegating teams can be catastrophic, let alone doing it to a team that hasn’t played the same number of fixtures as the teams above them.
When there is still a mathematical chance of positions changing, every effort should be made to ensure that the season is finished before the next one can be started, if this means adjusting the following season then so be it.
It would be easy to implement additional breaks throughout next season, for example, cancelling all international friendlies or removing the domestic cup competitions for a year.
With FIFA announcing that the 2019/20 season should be extended indefinitely and UEFA – again – warning leagues not to call a premature halt to their seasons, there now appears to be less of a rush to complete the requisite games.
The only real complication is player contracts and the transfer window, the governing bodies must make a decision so that there is parity across the globe and so that every team is on a level playing field, with FIFA expected to make an announcement in the next 24-48 hours, watch this space.