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Panic, Pandemonium and Paralysis in The 2019/20 Football Season

For an organisation with an income and sponsorship running in to billions of Euros, you might just think that the senior management of EUFA might be able to work out a unified strategy with the respective Football Associations of each country in Europe in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

It appears not, and any decisions about how the 2019/20 season will pan out are being left to individual associations. Let’s take a look at some of the news and suggestions emanating from the Premier League’s HQ.

Suspended until April 4th

It is now common knowledge that as of Friday 13th March 2020, all matches in England’s Premier League, the EFL and Women’s Super League have been suspended until at least the 4th of April 2020, although realistically, given the continuing rapid spread of the COVID 19 virus, it is likely this suspension of leagues may well extend beyond that date.

Quite how the football in the professional leagues in Europe and, for that matter, around the world is going to recommence at the beginning of April is quite beyond me. Indeed, most of the general public and, in particular, the football paying public have probably guessed rightly that there will not be a completion of the leagues for the 2021/20 season.

Champions, promotion and relegation

More likely the current positions will stand, the league leaders will be crowned as champions of their relevant divisions, and those unfortunate enough to be in relegation positions will be relegated. It is also highly likely that teams in promotion places will be promoted, although how this might work is going to be a little bit of a dilemma.

Where there are playoff places, these will probably no longer be contested as a result of the suspension of leagues. Compound all of this with new directives which suggests gatherings of no more than 50 people in any one place, and it is clear to envisage football and other major sporting events in the yearly calendar will be postponed or scrapped completely and playoff places an afterthought.

Online betting and TV revenues

The online bets industry is also going to be hard hit – no sport, no betting. TV companies which show live sport in Europe and beyond, for example Sky TV, will lose revenue streams as a result of advertisers not paying for adverts if live games are not televised because they are not happening.

Player contracts

As most player contracts now run to the last day of June in any year, it is likely the future clubs of players that may already have agreed a new club and signed contracts would not sanction any extension of leagues beyond June 1st, even if play were to resume.

As time goes by and a clearer picture emerges of how rapidly the disease is spread, how controls are affecting the spread and what the likely outcomes are, it is not too difficult to imagine professional sport in Europe not recommencing before 2021.

However it pans out, the talk among Sports fans and many sports fans in general is that there will probably be a serious rethink among associations about how, where and when revenue is sourced as well as how to prepare for just such another event like coronavirus causing major disruption around the world.

 

 

 

 

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