Liverpool may be denied trophy presentation if title is awarded
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Liverpool may not get the chance to celebrate their all-but-certain Premier League crown if the title is awarded this season.
The league's chief executive, Richard Masters, said he would like to see a trophy presentation and medal ceremony take place, but social distancing and safety guidelines related to COVID-19 will determine whether staging such an event is feasible.
"If at all possible, yes (we want a trophy presentation)," Masters told reporters during a conference call Monday, as quoted by Mark Ogden of ESPN.
"We would like to have a trophy presentation to give the players and staff the moment they have worked so hard for. We would try to do it unless it wasn't possible because of safety concerns."
The Reds, in search of their first league title since 1990, were 25 points up on second-place Manchester City when the Premier League shut down on March 13 due to the ongoing pandemic.
With nine matches remaining on the calendar, the club's magic number to seal the title is six points.
The league took a significant step toward a restart on Monday, announcing that clubs will be able to return to training - in small groups and under strict safety protocols - beginning this week.
The date for a potential resumption of the season has yet to be confirmed, but mid-June continues to be the target set by both the league and the British government.
For his part, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes it would be unfair if the title isn't awarded, regardless of whether the season ends prematurely.
"There was talk that people wanted to declare the season null and void," Klopp was quoted as saying Monday. "So you thought, 'Huh? We have played 76% of the season and you just want to delete the thing?'"
The manager added: "That would have been something that I personally would find unfair, to just say that it didn't happen. We are first in the home table, we are first in the away table. It is a season in which we should become champions."