Europe

Some clarity on how soccer leagues in Europe plan to complete seasons that have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic is expected this week but there is likely to be a mixed bag of solutions with countries tugging in different directions.

Meetings set for the next few days will study how to resume the suspended campaigns, even though it will be difficult to come up with a definitive roadmap while the continent remains in the grip of the fast-spreading virus.

Aston Villa star and captain Jack Grealish was in the news for all the wrong reasons this past weekend. 

Shortly after posting a video online urging people to follow the government's guidelines to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, pictures emerged of Grealish wearing two different shoes after leaving a party at a friend's house early in the morning. 

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan says it would only be "fair" for rivals Liverpool to be awarded the English Premier League trophy if the season cannot be completed due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

Gundogan told German broadcaster ZDF that Liverpool deserved to be crowned champions given their massive 25-point lead over second-placed City, the current holders, which has left them just two wins away from the title. 

Barcelona players will make an extra contribution on top of the 70% pay cut they have agreed to take during the enforced LaLiga break so that the club's other employees can earn their full salaries during the coronavirus crisis, captain Lionel Messi said. 

The club's all-time top scorer was among many Barcelona players who released identical statements on social media on Monday to confirm the decision. 

After swapping England's South Coast for Hamburg, Leo Östigard and Viktor Gyökeres have become vital to St. Pauli. Arriving at the Millentor within one week of each other, the two Brighton loanees have gained invaluable experience in Germany's second division. 

Tottenham striker Harry Kane said on Sunday that he could leave the Premier League club if the team does not progress in the right direction as he wants to win trophies "sooner rather than later.” 

Italy's sports minister said he will propose extending the ban on all competitions to the whole of April in an effort to contain the coronavirus. The death toll from the coronavirus rose past 10,000 in Italy on Saturday, a figure that made an extension of a national lockdown almost certain. 

"Re-starting matches ... is unrealistic. Tomorrow I will propose to extend the ban on all sports competitions, of all levels and types, to the whole of April," Vincenzo Spadafora told daily La Repubblica in an interview. 

ROME — The head of European soccer's governing body said that the current season could be "lost" if it is unable to re-start by the end of June, although he did not rule out extending it into the next season.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that there were a number of options for concluding the season, which has been brought to a halt around Europe by the coronavirus pandemic.

Defending champion Liverpool was knocked out of the Champions League on March 11, a misplayed Adrián pass tumbling into a 4-2 aggregate loss to Atlético Madrid following a 1-0 first-leg defeat. Reds coach Jurgen Klopp has reportedly called the playing of that second leg a “criminal act.”