Barnsley manager Gerhard Struber has admitted he doesn’t see how the season can return from the enforced suspension caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.
Football in England is currently suspended until the end of April, with the governing bodies electing to lockdown in an attempt to help control the spread of the virus.
That date is already the second deadline that has been put in place, with an earlier one quickly scratched off amid the ongoing situation.
It is looking extremely likely to be pushed back again, with that April date considered as optimistic by most at this point.
Should that happen, serious questions will have to be asked about whether the season can be completed at all.
Struber is concerned about the situation, admitting he doesn’t see how things can be finished.
“I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel at the moment,” Struber told Salzburger Nachrichten.
“I don’t think the Championship can be finished this year. I’m afraid it (the ongoing situation) will be very bad.
“The Coronavirus is something that makes football just small enough that I find it hard to imagine that it can be brought to a clean end. It’s important to be able to take a breather.”
The English game certainly is getting close to having to make a final decision on what will happen in the coming months.
The current popular opinion is that the season be voided as it is, with promotion and relegation cancelled throughout the divisions.
That would undoubtedly benefit Barnsley, who are bottom of the Championship and seven points from safety as things stand.
Alternatively, there is a chance the season be voided, and the current positions respected, in which case the Tykes would be playing League 1 football next season.
They are a perfect example of how difficult the current situation is, with there set to be winners and losers on either side regardless of the decision.
