Coronavirus has many scenarios for Danish club football
The Danish Divisional Association has issued the following press release on the possible scenarios for Danish football in the wake of the coronavirus.
F.C. Copenhagen matches are postponed for the next 14 days, as is our return game in Telia Parken against Istanbul Basaksehir in the UEFA Europa League last-16. Read more about it here.
No final decisions have yet been made as to how the rest of the season will be decided, but the hope remains that being able to play out games is done without taking any risks.
Announcement from the Divisional Association
After yesterday's cancellation of football games for the next two weeks, a lot of questions have been received from all football stakeholders. As mentioned, we follow the authorities' announcements and only play matches again when it is considered safe to do so, but in the meantime, many different scenarios are being worked on.
The 3F Superliga, NordicBet Liga and 2nd Division are currently paused for two weeks, and the tournaments are still scheduled so that there will be a champion, promoter and playoffs. Several people suggest that "the (title) race may have already been run," and that the league's current positions should remain. We are doing everything so that does not happen. It is highly unlikely and only a possible scenario if the reality outside of football proves even more serious than it already is. All players must be ready to collect points immediately in ongoing tournament.
In the Divisional Association we will do everything to ensure that the tournaments are run in the normal way. It is absolutely the first priority to do so according to the number of match rounds that result from the tournament regulations. In order to comply, it may be necessary to change normal practice - for example, the length of time between matches.
“This is a situation with a great many unknowns and the concern for Denmark's safety and health comes first," says Claus Thomsen, Director of the Divisional Association.
"So, in addition to guaranteeing that we will do everything in our power to finish the tournaments according to the proposals of all matches, it is difficult to be overly confident. One thing I would like to point out though, is we must have a completed 2019/20 season, so when the upcoming 2020/21 season starts, it will happen with the number of teams and the structure that has been decided."
For next season, both the 3F Superliga and NordicBet Liga will be played with 12 teams - and both play with the same structure with 22 rounds of league play - followed by 10 rounds of playoffs. The 2nd Division is played with 24 teams.
When we know how the tournaments will be run for the rest of this season, we will announce it. We do not comment on hypothetical situations.