Coronavirus: Sam Kerr set to pick up championship-wining medal as Chelsea set to be crowned champions
Sam Kerr only joined her English club, Chelsea, in January - and played her final match just over one month later. Now the Matildas star is set to pick up a championship-winning medal.
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Matildas skipper Sam Kerr is on the cusp of winning an English Women’s Super League (WSL) medal with Chelsea as the season looks set to be decided by a points per game system.
The English FA have written to clubs to discuss finishing the 2019/20 campaign, which has at least six rounds of matches still to be played, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Manchester City are currently top of the table, with Chelsea, who have a game in hand, a point behind.
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A final decision is yet to be made on deciding the season, which has been on hold since March.
But it’s likely Chelsea, who are unbeaten in 28 games in all competitions, will be crowned champions.
Last week League Two clubs voted to end their season with promotion places decided on the points per game system after the Scottish Premier Division had adopted a similar decision.
The biggest sticking point is whether bottom club Liverpool should go down to the Women’s Championship and Aston Villa promoted or to expand the league to 13 teams and scrap relegation for a season.
“We are continuing to consult with the clubs on the possibility of terminating the season,” the FA said.
“In the event it is decided that this appears to be the only realistic way forward, we will seek views on the most appropriate sporting outcome.”
Kerr, who only joined the Londoners in January, has already won the Women’s Continental League Cup after the Blues beat Arsenal in February’s final. That was the last match played by Kerr and her teammates and extended their unbeaten run, which spans more than 10 months across all domestic and European competitions.
Premier League men’s teams were given permission to resume training in small groups this week and sides in the Championship will return next Monday raising hopes of their seasons being resolved behind closed doors.
A decision on the outcome of the League One season is yet to be decided.
Nerves grow as Aussie-Kiwi Cup bid awaits fate
Australia and New Zealand will learn whether they will host the 2023 Women’s World Cup when the FIFA Council meets online on June 25.
Brazil, Colombia and Japan are the other three candidates in what FIFA described as “the most competitive bidding process” in the event’s history.
The 37-member FIFA Council will hold an open vote, with the result of each ballot and each voter’s choice to be made public on the FIFA website.
FIFA conducted inspection visits of the bidding member associations - none of whom have hosted a Women’s World Cup before - in January and February, and will publish an evaluation report in early June.
“FIFA remains committed to implementing the most comprehensive, objective and transparent bidding process in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura said.
The hosts were originally going to be decided at a FIFA Council meeting in Addis Ababa in June, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2023 Women’s World Cup will be the first to host 32 teams, up from 24 at France 2019.
“We believe that our proven ability to deliver the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is a key strength of our bid,” FFA president Chris Nikou said.
“Our world-class infrastructure, modern stadia, high-quality football facilities in both Australia and New Zealand, and major event hosting experience ensure certainty in delivering the first 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“From operational excellence, record-breaking crowds, commercial success, strong government support, a warm embrace from our 200 diverse cultures to a genuine profound legacy across the Asia-Pacific region, Australia-New Zealand offers certainty in uncertain times, as well as impact.”
New Zealand Football president Joanna Wood said the joint bid’s ability to bring together two football confederations - Asia and Oceania - presented an opportunity for women’s football.
“Our proposal offers FIFA a ground-breaking approach to hosting its greatest women’s tournament,” Wood said.
“We are two nations from two confederations, united in proposing a historic and exciting step forward for world football.
“We will be a tournament of firsts. The first ever co-Confederation hosted FIFA World Cup, the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in the Asia-Pacific region, and the first ever to be held in the southern hemisphere.”
South Korea and South Africa dropped out of the bidding in December.
Originally published as Coronavirus: Sam Kerr set to pick up championship-wining medal as Chelsea set to be crowned champions