London (AFP)

The cumulative deficit of the clubs in the English Premier League, the most powerful football championship in the world financially speaking, reached 600 million pounds (675 M EUR) last season, according to a study published Tuesday by the specialist cabinet Vysyble.

The 20 clubs of the elite have nevertheless recorded a record cumulative turnover of 5.15 billion pounds (5.8 billion EUR) in the 2018/2019 season.

But the worst is undoubtedly to come for the English clubs which will be hard hit by the crisis linked to the epidemic of Covid-19, even if they manage to finish their season.

For example, they will have to reimburse 330 million GBP (371 million EUR) to holders of broadcasting rights due to the delay in the season.

Losses of "match day" receipts - ticket office, boxes - could amount to an additional GBP 136m (EUR 153m).

"The Covid-19 epidemic is not the cause of the financial doldrums of football", notes however the director of Vysyble, Roger Bell, quoted in the press release, "it is only the accelerator of what our data have very clearly and rightly identified as a much longer term problem. "

"The 2018/2019 figures are (...) symptomatic of deep problems linked to (the) economic model" of English football, he added.

Among these problems, Vysyble cites an exaggerated dependence on television rights, too high salary costs in relation to income and an inability to correctly identify and anticipate financial developments.

The payroll of Premier League clubs would thus reach 3.12 billion GBP (3.5 billion EUR) or more than 60% of their turnover on average, but for half of PL clubs this ratio exceeds 70% recommended by UEFA as a maximum.

There are even peaks above 80%, like Bournemouth, Leicester or Everton who pay 85% of their income in wages.

The other Liverpool club had also published a loss of 111 M GBP (125 M EUR) for the last financial year, while Chelsea had announced a deficit of 96 M GBP (108 M EUR).

Even for a club like Tottenham, which had the most flattering accounts, with GBP 68.6 million (EUR 77 million) in profits, the future looks bleak.

The Spurs announced last week that they had taken advantage of a government business support program in the face of the crisis to borrow 175 million GBP (197 million EUR) from the Bank of England and close their budget.

© 2020 AFP