Republic of Ireland and Slovakia now set for September or October

The fixture between the Boys in Green and Slovakia is currently scheduled for early June in Bratislava, but will be moved, according to multiple newspaper reports, such as the Irish Daily Mail and the Irish Daily Star.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the fixture calendar is in flux, and UEFA's priority is to provide clarity on club seasons. Europe football's governing body will hold a conference call tomorrow where the further postponement is set to be announced.

The Republic of Ireland were due to originally play Slovakia last week, a plan which was shelved as live sport is at a standstill around the globe. It has led to the European Championship being put back a year.

UEFA have two issues to address in the immediate term; the fixtures calendar for the still to be completed 2019/20 season and the implications economically around broadcast rights and the legal issues that may ensue around the area of contracts.

FIFA have already described the pandemic as a 'force majeure', which means that players are to stay at their clubs beyond the end of June.

Following UEFA's conference call tomorrow, the Premier League will hold a discussion with their clubs on Friday. The consensus there seems to be that they will be keen to find some sort of a solution to play matches behind closed doors if the UK Government deem that the public health environment will allow it. This will ensure their broadcast commitments are fulfilled.

If UEFA kick the Republic of Ireland v Slovakia can down the road again, it will leave the succession plan for Mick McCarthy and Stephen Kenny up in the air.