Domestic football seasons have been halted amid the outbreak, and both the Copa America and European Championships have moved from the summer months to 2021 to give leagues the chance to complete their current campaigns.

D'Hooghe has warned against the resumption of competitive football, with the Belgian claiming that the contact nature of the sport went against calls for social distancing.

"There are a lot of arguments that say we should not play competitive football," d'Hooghe told BBC Sport.

"It is very difficult to avoid social distancing.

"As far as I know, and I have been in football for 50 years, there is always a direct contact.

"Football is a contact sport.

"Secondly, group formation.

"Players together on the field, in the dressing room and in the shower."

D’Hooghe acknowledged that the situation was different in each country, but suggested leagues begin focusing on ensuring the start of next season, rather than focusing on the resumption of the current campaign.

"I think that we are not ready for competitive football," he said.

"We cannot see what will happen in the next few weeks or months.

"My proposal is, if it is possible, avoid playing competitive football in the coming weeks.

"Try to be prepared for the start of good competition next season."

European leagues have until May 25 to tell European governing body UEFA whether they intend to complete their seasons.

In The Netherlands, the top football league - the Eredivisie - was cancelled last week with no champions declared and no teams either relegated or promoted.

This has prompted some clubs to explore taking legal action.

Some leagues in France had been hoping to resume training, with the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) announcing that it intended to re-start Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches on June 17.

Their hopes were ended yesterday when French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that no sporting events will be staged in the country before September - even those without any spectators present.

Several other top European leagues have expressed hopes of resuming their seasons, with the Bundesliga in Germany hoping to return in May.

Players in Italy's Serie A can return to individual training on May 4 and team training on May 18.

Several clubs in England's Premier League have reopened their training grounds for players to train individually.