Shutting down elite football would result in thousands of players and staff being furloughed from the Premier League all the way down to the National League at public expense, say experts and club officials.
Not only that but the creaking financial structure of the English leagues would be threatened with collapse if a temporary suspension of games led to a full shutdown.
The immediate future of the national game has been questioned as a new variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly across the country and the number of Covid cases have risen among clubs leading to scores of postponements.