The EFL season has been suspended for three weeks following the worldwide spread of coronavirus.
As it stands, matches will be postponed until April 3, and the EFL have released the following statement:
“The FA, Premier League, EFL and Barclays FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England until 3 April at the earliest.
“This action, which will be kept under constant review, has been taken due to the increasing numbers of Clubs taking steps to isolate their players and staff because of the COVID-19 virus.
“The postponements include all matches in the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as all Academy and youth team fixtures.
“In addition, Clubs are being advised to suspend indefinitely all non-essential activities which include, but are not limited to, player appearances, training ground visits and fan meetings.
“Whilst the EFL Board has continued to take the advice and guidance offered by the Government and its health advisors, emerging developments mean now is the time to implement football’s contingency plans in response to the crisis.
“A further update on these plans will be given post an EFL Board Meeting next week. This decision has not been taken lightly, but the EFL must prioritise the health and well-being of players, staff and supporters while also acknowledging the Government’s national efforts in tackling this outbreak.”
Oxford were due to welcome MK Dons this weekend before fixtures against promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth respectively.
But following a snowball effect across Europe, which has now seen incidents here in England, the decision has been made to suspend matches.
It’s certainly a blow for Karl Robinson’s side, who sit 3rd in League One after a run of five successive victories.
Robinson has previously stated that he was in favour of a suspension as opposed to matches being played behind closed doors.
Obviously, it will have a major impact on how clubs react when they are back on the field, but the short term decision suspend the games certainly seems a sensible one.
