Former Luton defender Tim Breacker believes 2019-20 season should be declared null and void due to coronavirus

Former Luton Town defender Tim Breacker firmly believes the 2019-20 season should be declared null and void due to the current coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign has been postponed indefinitely since early March with nine games remaining in the Championship and for most Premier League sides too.

France and Holland are just two countries to announce their season is officially over, although the Bundesliga in Germany will begin again this weekend.

The government announced on Monday that the Premier League could start again after June 1 as long as infection rates stay down, although matches would have to take place behind closed doors.

Breacker doesn’t think that a return should be considered though, as speaking to the Luton News, he said: “It’s strange times, but my own personal view is nothing's more important than putting someone’s life at risk.

“When they start talking about points differentiation, then somebody’s going to be unhappy.

“For me, season null and void, that’s it, sorry, there's winners, losers, it's too bad, the main thing is start next season if you can, hopefully with some supporters there, but I can’t see that happening.

“It’s impossible to play games behind closed doors, there’s so many ifs buts and maybes, and whenever I've watched any games without any supporters there it’s sterile.

“Some players aren't going to really want to be there, it's like pre-season games, nobody wants that.

“I just think for the Premier League when they've got so much money washing around in there, they should be the main ones saying, ‘no, we are going to suspend it ourselves.

"'Okay we’re going to lose money, too bad, we’ve got all these rich owners, we’re going to be the pinnacle of how it should be done properly.’

“But they're not, everybody knows the only reason they're thinking about playing is one reason, it’s money.

“If I was an NHS worker or a key worker I'd be thinking, ‘hold on a minute this is going on, this is the front line, and they're talking about completing the season behind closed doors because of money and the money is there for all to see.’

“They should be the ones saying ‘we’re very, very lucky in this country, we've got a pyramid of football clubs and tradition,’ that's why the Premier League is what it is.

“All these people from outside of it have come in and invested in it and pushed it on and on and on, well sorry, this has happened now, so look after all these other people, so the pyramid is still there, for as and when it all gets back going.

“They have to be led by that, but the more things you hear from medical people, there’s more reasons not to start than there is to.

“I think Gary Neville said and he was spot on, the only reason we’re having the discussion is money, it’s nothing else, nobody really wants to play without anybody there.

“I know Liverpool want to win the league, but even if they carry on now with games behind closed doors, it wouldn't be the same for them, it would be again, a bit surreal.”

As part of the Project Restart which is being discussed by the Premier League, then new training rules have been laid out for the top flight players, but Breacker thinks that, and the problems over contracts expiring ahead of the finale, remain two big issues that haven't been dealt with.

He continued: “There’s going to be so many unforeseen things, if one player gets it, one member of staff, then they’re all quarantining, and they're trying go play with masks, you're thinking ‘this is just a joke.’

"It must be so much harder with players out of contact too, what do you do with them?

“That’s a massive one and that’s a legal one as well.

"Players have got contracts, so how will that pan out if someone’s out of contract and you ask them to play, and they say ‘well what will you do if I get injured and I've got a weeks pay?’

"I just think it’s sad that the conversation is even there as early on they should have said, ‘we’re going to cancel it, we’re the first one, we’re the biggest league, luckily we can look after it, we've got enough money floating around.’

“It’s business though isn’t it, that’s the sad thing.”