EFL set to suspend League One season - this is what it means for Portsmouth

We take a look at what the big decision means for the club.

What does ‘suspending the season’ mean?The EFL are set to announce a suspension to the League One campaign, which will mean no fixtures will be played for a pre-determined period.

It currently remains unclear how long this period will be – although The News understands it will be until the end of March.

Meanwhile, much will depend on how the outbreak of coronavirus continues.

Should events progress as hoped, it would still be expected that the season would be concluded – albeit with fixtures re-arranged in the summer months.

There have already been reports that Uefa are considering moving this summer’s European Championships to deal with an extended Premier League and EFL season.

What does it mean for promotion and relegation?

Very little. It is expected that fixtures will still be completed at a later date, meaning that promotion and relegation should take place as usual.

There could be question marks over the play-offs, however, given the tight timescales involved with rearranging the season.

When will a suspension be announced?

The EFL board are set to meet this morning to iron out their plans, and a suspension could be announced shortly after this emergency meeting.

An EFL Spokesman said: ‘The EFL Board will meet this morning to make a decision on this weekend’s fixtures and beyond.’

How long will a suspension of the season last?This is currently unclear – although, as stated above, the end of March appears the timeframe.

In other countries, the suspension has varied in length from two weeks to a month – with the option to extend if necessary.

When will the suspension start?

The suspension is set to begin immediately – meaning Pompey’s game against Accrington is in doubt.This is yet to be confirmed though.

What have other countries done?

A number of other countries have announced suspensions to their leagues – including Spain, Portugal, USA and the Netherlands.

Other leagues, such as those in France and Germany, will play behind closed doors.