League One clubs should follow League Two and end season, says Rochdale chief executive
- Published
Rochdale are 19th in League One
Chief executive David Bottomley wants Rochdale's fellow League One clubs to end the season and not make decisions "stemming from financial greed".
The League Two campaign was brought to an early conclusion after talks between teams and the English Football League.
No decision has been made in the third tier, but six clubs have said they are determined to complete their fixtures prior to further discussions on Monday.
Bottomley wanted unity but said ending the season now was "the right thing".
He told the "While we do remain very much behind the collective, we have, as a club, fully earned the right to compete in the same league as many more illustrious and historically successful clubs who for various reasons are now plying their trade in the third tier of the greatest league competition in the world.
"Therefore, we have also earned the right to be part of group debates and planning at the same level. As a club, we will ensure on behalf of all our loyal and wonderful supporters that we will do what we believe to be is the right thing during this current crisis.
"We will act as a fully responsible member of that collective group, and act with what we see as the best interests of our national sport and not decisions that potentially are made stemming from financial greed."
Peterborough United, Oxford United, Sunderland, Fleetwood, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town released a joint statement on Thursday saying they had "no desire for voiding the season, points-per-game scenarios or letting a computer decide our footballing fate".
Bottomley said the logistics and financial implications of completing the season meant League One teams should follow the lead of League Two clubs to allow "sensible planning" for the 2020-21 season.
"With every day that slips by the likelihood of allowing players a three-week mini pre-season (EFL view) and then resumption and finish of season by 31 July (for player contract reasons) diminishes," he added.
"We also believe that the potential excessive costs of testing staff and players twice per week, the ability to travel to away games whilst observing social distancing and the very clear moral issue of why can the football industry be tested at a time when clearly those tests are not available to all key workers, make it even more difficult to resume."