FA Would Block Any Attempts by the Premier League to Take Relegation Off the Table This Season

The FA would block any plan from the Premier League to do away with relegation this season.

The English top flight has been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with 'Project Restart' currently underway to secure its return - albeit behind closed doors.

One plan that has been mooted is completing the remaining fixtures in neutral venues. This idea has been met with opposition from relegation-threatened clubs who stand to lose crucial home advantage during the run-in.

One club has even gone as far as proposing that relegation be scrapped if this goes ahead, though the FA would likely block any such move. According to the Times, English football's governing body must consent to any changes in the top-flight relegation process. The power was granted after the Founder Members Agreement of 1991.

Paragraph 7.2.4 of said agreement states the FA must consent to 'any amendment to, removal of or waiver of (a) the name of the League (b) the number of members and promotion to and relegation from the League (c) the criteria for membership of the League'.

This means that the option to null and void the season is off the table with sporting merit - whatever that entails specifically - the most likely way of concluding the campaign IF it is not played out behind closed doors.

In Ligue 1, league standings were determined by league positions during in the most recently completed matchweek, though a points per game system has also been touted as a potential solution.

All English football below League Two has already been permanently cancelled, with all seasons aside from the National League being 'expunged'.

Across Europe, football in the Netherlands and Belgium has also suffered a similar fate, though the Bundesliga is set to return on 15 May after getting the go-ahead from the government.