In countries where a league season cannot be concluded for "legitimate" reasons, there is the possibility of Champions and Europa League places being decided on the basis of playoffs or mini-tournaments. Following yesterday's meeting of the Uefa executive, Emmet Malone reports: "It is also possible that leagues or associations could opt to take tables as they stand as final, or refashion them on the basis of points secured per game played. Essentially, they will have to be able to persuade Uefa that there could be no suggestion that any club qualified on a basis that was not "objective, transparent and non-discriminatory". Spain's footballers will undergo daily coronavirus tests under a protocol for a return to training La Liga hopes to set in motion from the second week of May. A four-part protocol will see teams train for a month before any games start - read the details here. James McDermott (a barrister and lecturer in the UCD School of Law) provides the latest favourite sporting moment this morning, his choice: "for the long suffering UCD fan there will always be something magical about our European Cup Winners' Cup encounter with Everton in 1984."
This Sunday, the World Rugby Council will vote to decide whether Bill Beaumont is retained as the governing body's chairman for four more years, or whether there is an unlikely electoral coup in favour of Agustín Pichot . Gerry Thornley explains that in what is shaping up to be a battle along classical northern and southern hemisphere lines, Bernard Laporte's backing should be significant in cementing Beaumont's position. Andrew Conway's latest diary entry reflects on his decision to leave Leinster for Munster seven years ago: "My decision didn't go down well with Joe Schmidt. I didn't know it, but at the same time Johnny had decided to move to Racing. That was way bigger news, but I was another Leinster-born player moving on so the timing wasn't great."
It might appear wishful thinking but the GAA Cúl Camps are still scheduled to go ahead this summer. Last year they attracted nearly 156,175 children between the ages of six and 13 to 1,250 centres around the country. This year's camps, scheduled for July and August, have been thrown into doubt by the coronavirus pandemic but the scheme's national co-ordinator Charlie Harrison has been hard at work to give children – and parents – a glimmer of hope. Mayo footballer Lee Keegan believes it will be very difficult to run an intercounty championship this summer: "Who knows whether we'll see a championship this year at all? It seems unlikely maybe. But again, does it matter? As long as we're able to talk about next year's championship. Would you rather be around to be able play next year or do you want this to go on and go on?
Meanwhile the European Athletics Federation have announced the cancellation of the European Athletics Championships, which were set to take place in Paris in August after the Tokyo Olympics. Rás Tailteann race director Eugene Moriarty has said that he hopes the recent Government guidelines on large gatherings of people will not impact upon the running of the event. Malachy Clerkin explains why golf restarting would be much needed good news: "You may very well think that the golfer next door is a gobshite – you may know it in your very bones, in fact. But you need to see their return to the bosom of gobshitery as a chink of light."
