Kiko Casilla declares Leeds United confidence as UEFA outline time frame for league's planned return

Whites 'keeper Casilla is currently serving an eight-game having been found guilty of racially abusing Charlton Athletic striker Jonathan Leko in the 1-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic in September, an allegation which Casilla has always strongly denied.

The custodian has served two games of that ban and would have been eligible to return to the side for the clash at home to Barnsley which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 18 - United's third last game.

Football, though, is currently on lockdown along with the rest of the country in the global fight against coronavirus with both the EFL and Premier League seasons having been indefinitely extended and with play suspended until at least April 30.

Officials, though, are aware there is no realistic possibility of resuming action this month amidst the current social distancing measures in place and there are calls in some quarters for the season to be declared null and void.

UEFA, though, have said they are confident that football can restart in the months to come - with conditions that will be dictated by public authorities - and believe that any decision of abandoning domestic competitions is, at this stage, premature and not justified.

UEFA are now focusing on action resuming in July and the FA, Premier League and EFL have already stated their preference for the English season to be completed properly on the pitch by fulfilling all fixtures when it is safe to do so.

It all means Casilla has no real idea when he could be in line to make a return but the Whites stopper is confident Leeds will be able to successfully finish off their promotion push if and when they are allowed to do so.

The break in play comes with United just nine games away from a returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2004 with United top of the Championship and holding a seven-point cushion in the division's automatic promotion spots.

"The truth is that before all this happened, we had nine games left of the season and were leaders in the league,” said Casilla, speaking to Spanish media outlet Onda Regional de Murcia

"We’d managed five straight wins, so we were giving ourselves a good chance of promotion.

“Now we have to wait to see if we are finishing the season, but if we are, we have to return and treat the nine remaining games like a mini-season.

“We don’t know if that will be 100 per cent possible but if we can then we have to try to secure promotion because that was the objective.

"This team has everything to achieve it."

With Casilla banned, French goalkeeper Illan Meslier has stepped in between the sticks with the 20-year-old keeping clean sheets in United's romp at Hull City and victory at home to Huddersfield Town.

Casilla had previously kept clean sheets in his last three games before the start of his ban in victories at home to Bristol City and Reading and a triumph at Middlesbrough.

Yet following United's successes against Hull and Huddersfield, the professional game in England was then halted over the second weekend in March as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi both tested positive for coronavirus.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

These are challenging times but the team at the Yorkshire Evening Post need your support more than ever in the weeks ahead.

While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you - wherever possible and providing it is safe for you to do so - to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Inevitably falling advertising revenues will start to have an impact on local newspapers and the way we continue to work during this period of uncertainty.

So the support of our readers has never been more important as we try to make sure that we keep you connected with the city you live in during this time.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. We need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Our team of trusted reporters are working incredibly hard behind the scenes - from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms - to look at how we can do this and your continued support to the YEP will help to protect its viability in the days and weeks ahead.

For more details on our subscription offers please visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk/YEP, email [email protected] or call us on 0330 4033004

Thank you

Laura Collins

Editor

READ MORE: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/opinion/were-therewithyou-now-your-yep-needs-your-support-too-laura-collins-yep-editor-2521777