The decision on when the new League One season will start has been delayed until next Friday, according to Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry.
Two dates for the start of the 2020/21 campaign are currently under consideration – August 29 and September 12th – although some clubs have made it clear their preference would be to only start when all restrictions on fans attending are lifted, that unlikely to be until the new year.
Another sticking point in the discussions has been surrounding who should pick up the bill for Covid-19 testing, plus how all cup competitions could be fitted into a truncated campaign which will have to finish in time for the European Championships.
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“It’s incredibly frustrating, but we’ve now been told we won’t hear anything about a start date until July 24th,” Fry told the Peterborough Telegraph.
“The Premier League and the FA are still talking with the EFL about cups and all sorts. It’s driving our manager Darren Ferguson up the wall as he can’t plan properly for next season.
“It can’t start any later than September 12th or we’ll never get the fixtures in. If we start on September 12th it will be six months between competitive matches for us.”
As it stands, Ipswich Town are planning to return to training at Playford Road towards the end of this month.
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