Ahead of next Thursday’s (April 30) cabinet meeting to decide the next steps to be taken vis-à-vis the containment of the Covid-19 crisis, prime minister António Costa has indicated that the government would be prepared to see the remainder of the current football season played out during the months of June and July, albeit behind closed doors.
In conjunction with yet-to-be-agreed UEFA and Portuguese FA guidelines, such a move could involve large-scale pre-match day virus testing of players in a bid to resolve the current state of limbo regarding first and second division champion, promotion and relegation issues.
Meanwhile, Portimonense is bearing up well under the heavy financial burden of supporting a total of 74 squad members under contract spread over the first and U-23 teams, as well as a number of on-loan players.
By SKIP BANDELE