Swansea City boss Steve Cooper has claimed footballing authorities must do everything they can to conclude the current season in order to maintain "the integrity of the game".

It was announced on Friday that the EFL and Premier League had decided to suspend matches until April 3rd due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but it has now been revealed that this date has been pushed back to April 30th given recent developments.

Swansea secured a goalless draw with former Championship leaders West Brom in their final match before the suspension, with this meaning Cooper's side are sitting 11th in the second-tier table and three points adrift of the top six.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Cooper has now claimed that authorities must find a way of completing the Championship season given it is so close to the end, but he admitted that the "million-dollar question" will be the manner in which this is achieved.

"I think we have to do everything we can to finish the season," Cooper said.

"For the integrity of the game, how far we are into the league, it's the right thing to do.

"What that looks like and how that's done is the million dollar question right now.

"How they do it is a difficult point, but whatever happens now - whether it's a short-term delay or a long-term delay - we like everybody else will deal with it as it comes."

It has been a mixed debut campaign in senior football management for Cooper with the Swans having experienced inconsistent form following an electric start to the term, but they will still be in play-off contention when the season resumes.

Can you score maximum points in this Swansea quiz? Have a go now!

The Verdict

The authorities definitely made the right decision in suspending all football last Friday, but they now face the major challenge of finding a way to complete the current season when it is entirely safe enough to do so.

Cooper will certainly want Swansea's season to be completed given his side are in contention for a play-off spot, while they had been showing some positive signs of improvement in their performances leading up to the suspension.

Swansea will fancy their chances of breaking into the top six when the final nine matches are eventually played out, but it still remains to be seen when this will be possible.