INTERVIEW
The coronavirus epidemic is changing the world of sport. The start of the 24 Hours of Motos du Mans, which was to take place next month, was postponed Tuesday evening to September. On the football side, the presidents of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 have decided to hold a closed session for all matches until April 15. There will therefore be no spectators in the stands of the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening for PSG – Dortmund. For Vincent Chaudel, sports economist and founder of the Observatory of Sport Business, if this device should have relatively limited consequences from an economic point of view for football, it could, conversely, strongly influence the course of the competition.
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In camera risks putting football clubs in financial difficulty?
"There is an impact on the clubs' cash flow, of course. In football, there is tele-dependence, television rights weigh much more than other revenues in the club economy (between 50 and 70% of the budget, note . The impact will not be so violent for them, on the other hand it will be for the ecosystem of football, that is to say these small businesses that are found around clubs and stadiums, small businesses dealing with derivatives and the like, they may suffer.
" A qualification Wednesday evening would bring ten million to PSG "Can we estimate the shortfall for PSG, whose stands on Wednesday evening will be empty against Dortmund?
We can speak of a shortfall of between 5 and 7 million euros in ticket sales revenue. However, these revenues are generally insured and therefore reimbursable according to the terms of the insurance contract. There is also going to be a shortfall in derivatives. This is a real subject for the club. Above all, a qualification Wednesday evening would bring ten million to PSG with UEFA rights. As for the opportunities to meet the public, they will come back if this coronavirus leaves us alone.
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But couldn't the absence of supporters have an impact on the players?
The closed door may indeed hamper the clubs that play either the climb, the descent, or the qualification because there can be a 12th man effect. PSG has been making it to the knockout stage of the Champions League for three years in a row. It is very important for him to pass this course. Especially if he wants to keep these star players. Time flies in a career. They don't have much opportunity to fill their trophy cupboards. […] The biggest problem for PSG tonight is not the ticket office, it is the absence of an audience that could push players towards the feat.
Is the impact of behind closed doors comparable on other team sports such as basketball or handball?
These are much less dependent sports. For handball, basketball or rugby, the closed door looks very painful. The economic weight is less because the crowd is generally less strong than for a football match, but on the finances of a basketball club this can represent 50,000 to 100,000 euros per match, which weighs heavily on an overall budget of 3 or 4 million euros. As far as these sports are concerned, behind closed doors can jeopardize the viability of certain clubs. In the same way that the government imagines supporting SMEs during this crisis, we will have to support professional sports companies if the epidemic continues beyond mid-April. "