Belgian league moves to declare season finished due to coronavirus pandemic

The Belgian football league has recommended that the current season be declared finished early due to the coronavirus pandemic with the present league table accepted as final, it said in a statement on Thursday. The decision is set to be formally validated at a General Assembly on April 15, meaning that Club Brugge would be declared champions as they currently sit 15 points clear of Gent at the top of the table.

In a statement, the league said it was "very unlikely" to be able to hold matches before June 30 and that it had "unanimously decided that it was not desirable...to continue the competition" after that date. It therefore agreed to "accept the current league table as final". Belgium would become the first European league to take such a measure due to the ongoing health crisis, which saw football across the continent grind to a complete halt in the middle of March.