April 8 – English FA chairman Greg Clarke has painted a catastrophic picture of the financial effects of Covid-19 on football, not only at elite level but throughout the complete pyramid.
Clarke says the Premier League alone could lose £1 billion if the season cannot finish and that English football risks “the danger of losing clubs and leagues” amid economic challenges “beyond the wildest imagination”.
In a statement on Tuesday, Clarke said: “Football faces economic challenges beyond the wildest imagination of those who run it. The pandemic will be followed by its economic consequences and all business sectors will suffer.
“We face the danger of losing clubs and leagues as finances collapse. Many communities could lose the clubs at their heart with little chance of resurrection.
“We are committed to finishing the professional football season as this resolves the issues of promotion and relegation together with title winners on merit. However, we may not be able to finish the season as football is not our priority, human life is.”
Clarke has urged players to settle their pay cut disputes amid an apparent and much-publicised stand-off with the clubs. Top-flight players are negotiating on a club-by-club basis over proposed salary reductions after collective talks broke down without resolution over the weekend.
“In the face of this unprecedented adversity, all the stakeholders within the game from players, fans, clubs, owners and administrators need to step up and share the pain to keep the game alive,” said Clarke.
Meanwhile Premier League chief executive Richard Masters defended clubs who have been lambasted for considering the use of the British government’s furlough scheme.
In a letter to Julian Knight, chair of the government’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee who has accused top-flight football of being in a “moral vacuum” Masters wrote: “We do agree with you that restraint needs to be shown by all and we and our clubs are doing just that. Individual clubs will need to make these decisions based on their own forecasts as each club will have its own unique position.”
“The furlough scheme announced by Government is meant for the whole economy, including many enterprises which might be regarded as providing entertainment or otherwise dependent on elite talent.
“Not only is our industry facing losses now, but to be realistic, we must also base our plans on full recovery being some distance away. Ultimately, the very heavy losses that we face will have to be dealt with or else clubs or other enterprises who depend on football for income will go out of business.”
However, Knight stepped up his criticism on Tuesday, responding: “It is time for the Premier League to stop defending the indefensible.”
“It is frankly laughable to think that clubs are showing restraint on use of government money to pay non-playing staff and flies in the face of public opinion. Liverpool has listened to fans, done the right thing and changed its mind.”
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