The Russian soccer league says it is hoping to resume play in late June and wants to complete its season by Aug. 2, CAN reported.
The league says it is discussing June 21 and 28 with clubs as possible dates to resume the season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Each club has eight more league games to play.
The league says it would keep promotion and relegation if the season can be completed.
The federation said the Russian Premier League could expand from 16 to 18 teams for next season with the addition of the two best-placed teams from the second division if the season can’t be finished.
It would then shrink back to its current size for the 2021-22 season. The Russian Cup could also be removed from the calendar for next season only, the soccer authority said.
Players in Russia are currently training on their own at home during a nationwide lockdown and some foreign players have left the country. The league says it has discussed a return to training but didn’t announce any dates for that.
Zenit St Petersburg currently tops the standings on 50 points after 22 games, nine points clear of Lokomotiv Moscow and Krasnodar.
Russia has had over 80,000 coronavirus cases and almost 800 deaths since the disease was identified in China in December.
