Talk of extending the season is stupidity of the highest order says Stephen Baxter

The Crusaders boss believes it will be impossible to complete the 38-game season as planned alongside the Irish Cup, and labelled talk of a further extension to the season as "stupidity of the highest order".

The NI Executive are set to make a decision this week with regards to the current Covid restrictions with officials hopeful sport will be moved into Phase Two at the end of March.

Reports suggest a compromise has been reached between the Irish FA and the NI Football League around the date for the round of 32 fixtures with Tuesday 27 April now being pencilled in instead of the original date of May 1.

But Baxter still feels that it is too much to ask players to play 38 plus any Irish Cup ties.

"I think we are going to have a big decision to make over trying to get the season played in full," he said.

"The end of May needs to be the final curtain call. You can't ask players to play beyond that.

"There's talk of an extension but that's just stupidity of the highest order, you can't ask these players to play for a year without a rest.

"They will need four to six weeks off to recover from the strains of what they are being asked to do currently.

"I think all the players from every team deserve incredible credit.

"There's a big debate to be had about putting the Irish Cup back to August, so you're letting Championship clubs come back and train properly to compete in it too.

"There needs to be some sense talked, they've already extended the season by four weeks, another extension would become farcical.

"For me it's straightforward, if you want to play the Irish Cup this season then you play 33 league games.

"If you want to play 38 then play it later in the year like an opening tournament in August, you can't fit all in.

"They put the Irish Cup games into the league fixtures without consultation.

"There is to be more clarification in the next week or so and that needs to happen.

"If the season was extended into June then the teams who qualify for Europe could find themselves playing again two weeks later, which is crazy."

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