Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has hit out at Premier League clubs seeking to "benefit from failure" by wanting the season to be scrapped.
Top flight football has been suspended since March 13 due to the pandemic, with clubs having confirmed a collective desire to resume the campaign once it is safe to do so.
Nevertheless, a number of teams, including struggling London duo West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, are understood to welcome the continued possibility of the season being declared null and void.
And Carragher, writing in his column in the Daily Telegraph, has taken a dim view on those desperate to disguise their own shorctomings.
"Although the safety of players, fans, staff and the broader public is top of the agenda in the decision-making process, sporting integrity must be second," he said.
"No club should benefit from failure, and no club should be punished because they are on the brink of success.
"I have noticed the increasingly regular private briefings from executives of clubs either in the relegation zone or close to it who are claiming that it will be difficult to play behind closed doors because of concerns about players’ welfare.
"Is it a coincidence that those executives and managers whose clubs are in or around the bottom three share the same opinion about either voiding or curtailing the campaign?"
Must-read Liverpool FC news
Most Read
Liverpool are 25 points clear at the Premier league summit and need only two more wins from their remaining nine games to win the title for the first time since 1990.
Holland's Eredivisie was cancelled on Friday with no champion and no relegation, although the decision was expected after the Dutch government banned football in the country until September 1. European places, though, have been determined on league placing.
And Carragher added: "As a former Liverpool player, I acknowledge that restarting the season helps Liverpool towards the title. But based on the 29 games played, who can reasonably say Jurgen Klopp’s side do not deserve it?
"Based on the fixtures played, I also believe Leicester City deserve Champions League football and Leeds United to be promoted to the Premier League.
"The coronavirus will not be gone by August, when the next season is due to start. Those arguing to end this season to protect the start of the new one know that, so it is a contradictory position to call for the end of this campaign so we can begin another on time."