Jersey FA chief executive officer Jean-Luc Desbois has written to JFA Combination clubs and asked for their consensus on whether to null and void the current campaign or finalise league standings on a points-per-game basis. This rules out any possibility of resuming the season once the current lockdown is lifted.
The options have been forced upon the JFA by the English Football Association, to whom the JFA is affiliated, following the decision in England to cancel and expunge all fixtures and results within the National League system from Step 3 down. Although Jersey’s league does not form part of their overall pyramid system, the English FA have been quite forthright with the JFA to comply with their directives.
‘At the time, we all were a little bit shocked and astounded when the FA made the decision to null and void the National League system,’ said Desbois.
‘As part of that communication they also made the decision that all grassroots football should conclude, which is where we come under, and with grassroots football they told us the leagues are concluded with two possible outcomes: null and void or decide the league on an average points-per-game basis.
‘Nobody wins really. This is the worst-case scenario. We’ve never experienced a situation like this and we’ve got to understand that there are more important things than football right now. A decision had to be made.
‘With that being the case, we now want the clubs to have some input in the final decision.’
Clubs have until Wednesday, 22 April, to state their preferred outcome to the current season, with a final decision to be made by the JFA by the end of April.
Meanwhile, unresolved cup competitions have been given a greater margin of flexibility, with the JFA looking to stage cup matches over a period of two weeks or weekends, should they be able to be concluded before 1 July. If safety concerns remain unresolved or are likely to be unresolved by that date they will be declared null and void.
Full story in Friday’s JEP.
