Premier League clubs want new rules in place over what happens in event of future curtailed seasons

Premier League clubs plan to introduce new rules this summer over exactly what happens in the event of an incomplete season amid fears next term or a subsequent campaign could also be ravaged by a pandemic.

Teams in the world’s richest league last week headed off a row over what happens if the 2019-20 season is curtailed by agreeing not to debate the matter unless Project Restart stalls.

But the Telegraph can reveal clubs want to avoid starting next season without clear rules in place for deciding the outcome of it in the event the coronavirus crisis forces another suspension of football in England.

It was the Telegraph which first revealed in February that, despite being 22 points clear at the time, Liverpool would not necessarily be crowned Premier League champions if the season was curtailed because there were no specific regulations governing such a scenario.

One senior club executive told this newspaper it was vital to rectify that by introducing new rules specifying the number of matches played in which it would be impossible to declare the season null and void.

Just over three-quarters of fixtures were complete when football was suspended in March and most clubs agree it would be wrong to void the current campaign entirely.

But the same executive said it was also clear that if the virus wiped out most of next season, voiding it entirely would be the only fair outcome.

That is what happened when the 1939-40 Football League campaign was abandoned after just three matches following the outbreak of the Second World War.

Any new rules would need to specify whether the final standings in the event of curtailment would be determined using simple points per game or another model.

They could also differentiate between the awarding of the title and European spots and imposing relegation – which was at the centre of what became a toxic row over Project Restart.

For example, relegation could be outlawed unless a team is mathematically unable to finish outside the bottom three – and even if a side in the Championship is not mathematically unable to finish outside the top two.

This has already been proposed as a potential outcome by some of the current bottom six if this season is curtailed.

However it would be strongly resisted by the English Football League, which wants promotion and relegation to take place this summer come what may, and may also be opposed by some Premier League clubs unlikely to find themselves in a fight for survival.

There is an acceptance that using points per game to decide the outcome of an incomplete season is inherently unfair, particularly if the fixture list means some clubs benefit from not playing what would be deemed their most difficult matches.

This could put pressure on the Premier League to ensure the most equitable distribution of fixtures possible each season.

But even teams currently in the bottom six accept that provided everyone knows before a ball is kicked what the rules are, there can be no complaints if they are subsequently enforced.