Because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Premier League season has been halted and while the plan is to resume in early April, there are talks of ending the games now and hand the crown to league leader Liverpool. But doing so would be grossly unfair for all stakeholders, according to Alan Shearer.
The Newcastle United hero is taking the position that PL games must continue and the season must come to an end in the usual course. Despite the threat of COVID-19, the Premier League goal-scoring champion is adamant that cutting the season short has to be the last option.
In a piece penned for The Sun, Shearer said ending the season with games still to be played must be ruled out by league officials.
"Every angle and scenario has to be looked at in order to reach a conclusion, even if that means a long delay before playing into next season. There is so much speculation and opinion. But the bottom line is that everyone is guessing, and right now there are far more important things," the football legend wrote.
He maintained there has to be no winner and loser if the decision is made that the season will end. In such a case, Shearer said it's only fair to declare the season null and void.
"If, and it is a huge if, the season cannot be completed then there is no way you can have a winner or loser," Shearer said.
On the question that Liverpool all but captured the crown with just six points shy of winning the title outright, Shearer said it will not be fair for the league at all.
"I cannot see how it would be fair to hand them the title - despite the fact it is obvious nobody is going to catch them. If you cannot complete the fixtures then you cannot go handing out titles or consider relegating anybody," the pundit argued.
It would seem harsh to deny Liverpool the title that the club had worked hard for but Shearer stressed the outcome in which no one lost and won is more acceptable.
Kenny Dalglish, however, believes that discarding how Liverpool played excellent football in the last 29 games would be foolish. It is hard to see how Manchester City, No. 2 in the league, can still catch up with Liverpool's 25-point lead with only a few games remaining.
The Liverpool legend said it is wrong to make the current season of the competition "count for nothing.
"We must be given time to finish the competitions in our own backyard. If that means we need to play every second night for three weeks during May, or even into June, then so be it," Goal reported Dalglish as saying.
