By Paul Nicholson
July 10 – The coronavirus pandemic looks likely to bring some fundamental long term changes to how fans watch live football and the confidence they have to return to stadia. Those changes will impact on stadium operations but also on what the live experience delivers beyond the game on the pitch.
July 8 – There have been over 50 inquiries about buying Wigan Athletic FC – including from the town’s rugby league side Wigan Warriors – after the English Championship club were plunged into administration when its Hong Kong owner pulled the plug on further funding, according to the joint administrators.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 7 – Wigan Athletic’s official supporters’ club have demanded a “full investigation” into how the second-tier Championship club became the first professional outfit in English football to be plunged into administration during the Covid-19 pandemic.
July 7 – With predictions that the transfer market is going to take a big hit as the football business tiptoes its way through the commercial implications pandemic, new player transfer value analysis looks at what a contract extension would do for their sale value.
July 3 – Manchester City are set to learn their European fate on July 13 in a ruling that will have major consequences for both the club and UEFA’s entire financial fair play strategy.
July 2 – UEFA has kicked off the fifth cycle of its HatTrick programme with a commitment to invest €775.5 million in the development of the game over the next four years.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 2 – In a move that has shocked neutral fans across the country, Wigan Athletic of the second-tier Championship have become the first professional English club to fall into administration as a result of Covid-19.
By David Owen
July 1 – One of the more salient details of Leroy Sané’s big money move to Bayern Munich may turn out to be the date on which news of the deal broke: June 30 – the last day of selling club Manchester City’s financial year.
By David Owen
June 30 – FIFA is now budgeting for this year’s revenues to come in at little more than half of its original projections, as a consequence of coronavirus.
June 30 – Staff at the English FA have been left shocked by the announcement of more than 100 job losses due to the “significant impact” of coronavirus.
By David Owen
June 30 – Sports footwear and apparel giant Nike swung heavily into loss in its March-to-May 2020 quarter, reflecting the impact of Covid-19.
By David Owen
June 26 – FIFA will raid its well-stocked reserves to finance a COVID-19 relief plan that will make up to $1.5 billion available to the wider “football community”.
June 26 – FIFA is to release $1.5 billion from its reserves for its Covid-19 relief plan via a number of grants and interest-free loans to national federations who are facing loss of income as a result of the pandemic.
June 25 – The financial effect of the coronavirus pandemic on football has hit revenues and values, not least in the player transfer market, with the overall market value being predicted to drop 20-25%.
June 25 – The English FA have released data on player agent commissions showing that in the period 1 February 2019 to 31 January 2020, agents earned a combined £263 million.