Relegation essential to integrity of the football pyramid: EFL

As well as setting out the principle on relegation, the EFL board says the play-offs should be played in the event of curtailment but should not be extended beyond the regular four teams.

Peterborough chairman Darragh McAnthony had suggested that the League One's play-offs could be increased to eight teams - potentially involving ninth-placed Doncaster Rovers - but the EFL's latest statement has thwarted any prospect of that.

The governing body also stated that the decision to curtail in each division should require a 51 per cent majority among the clubs concerned, with League One sides in open disagreement about whether to stop or play on.

EFL chairman Rick Parry said: "In the event that a divisional decision is made to curtail the 2019-20 season, the EFL board is recommending that the league adopts the original framework with the amendments as identified, as there is a strong desire to remain as faithful as possible to the regulations and ensure there is consistency in the approach adopted across the EFL in all divisions.

"The board has always acknowledged that a single solution to satisfy all clubs would always be hard to find, but we are at the point now where strong, definitive action is needed for the good of the league and its members."

Barnsley prop up the Championship, with Hull City, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town all hovering just above the relegation zone.