Low blow for Football

Football took a huge blow yesterday, the situation is ongoing today as to what is going to happen and many clubs could be in serious financial danger.

The news that struck the world of football came yesterday when PM Boris Johnson said the fans back to stadium program from October 1st would be cancelled. 

The Corona Virus has struck the UK hard recently in the run up to winter with covid cases shooting up from 1000 a day around august time to 5000 a day mid-September. In terms of Football, 10 EFL clubs had a successful fan reintroduction with 1000 fans turning to their grounds with no trouble or cases after. However, with the cases rising rapidly the decision was taken to scrap the plans for the time been. 

This news is likely to be a disaster for football clubs with many clubs already struggling after the last lockdown and no fans, newly promoted league 2 side Harrogate Town who are unbeaten in the league 2 have commented saying the club is “on a knife edge”.  The disruption to the 2019/20 season caused by the pandemic and the halt on fixtures will reduce Premier League clubs revenues in the 2019/20 financial year by £1bn.

Manchester United and Liverpool are losing between £3m and 5m every time they host a competitive game without paying spectators. These small cash-flow problems are beginning to affect the transfer market. It was predicted that even with a rapid restart, half a dozen clubs could be in danger of financial collapse.

Steve Kavannagh, chief executive of Millwall Football Club, who play in the Championship, says “the survival of the 72 football league clubs is in peril”.

Could this be the crushing blow to football that could keep them down for a good few years?