FIFA Set to Extend Coronavirus-Disrupted 2019/20 Football Season Indefinitely - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The world football governing body FIFA is planning to extend the 2019/20 season indefinitely, which will allow domestic leagues to decide how to conclude their seasons, the majority of which were initially scheduled to end in April and May but were disrupted due to the COVID-19 outbreak, The Athletic sports news portal reported.

According to the portal, FIFA will reveal their plans before the end of Tuesday. FIFA intends to alter the summer transfer window, which traditionally ends on August 31, and clubs will also be allowed to extend the contracts of players whose deals expire at the end of June, the portal reported.

Football leagues across the world have been forced to shut down amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic after governments banned sporting events and mass public gatherings.

Players from a number of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Spain’s Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, have offered to take extensive pay cuts to protect the incomes of non-playing staff.

Three players from the Italian club Juventus — Paulo Dybala, Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani — tested positive for the disease in March.