The new outbreak of the Corona virus has caused near-complete paralysis, albeit temporary until now, at the level of football club competitions in Europe, starting this week, which raises questions about the great financial damage that will be incurred by the first popular sport, as economic experts specializing in football matters confirm That the losses will be very heavy, and may amount to a few billion euros.
By the evening of yesterday, the five major championships (England, Germany, France, Spain and Italy) had announced the suspension of matches, which usually fill the weekend schedule, for varying periods, as were other tournaments such as Portugal and the Netherlands, as well as the postponement of the continental union ( And FIFA) next week's matches, within the Champions League and "Europa League" competitions, and called for a meeting Tuesday to discuss their fate, and the fate of its most important team, the European Cup, which is scheduled to take place between June 12 and July 12 in 12 cities.
Initially, the national championships held matches without an audience, which also affected the two continental competitions. But with the expansion of «Covid-19», which was classified as a global epidemic by the World Health Organization, and the great restrictions imposed by many countries on the movement of travel, football authorities found themselves obliged to impose a comprehensive suspension until at least early April.
But the economic and financial reality is beginning to impose itself on the clubs of the old continent, which spend huge amounts of money on football teams, and rely heavily on the revenues of matches, fans and television broadcasting rights.
Bayern Munich CEO, Karl-Heinz-Rummenigge, said in a press statement: "In the end, it is about the means of financing professional football, and if you do not get payments from TV players, many small and medium clubs will have problems with liquidity."
According to a study by the Spanish "Cuban" radio, the League clubs that announced, this week, the stopping of at least two stages, will lose a total of 600 million euros (665 million dollars) if no other matches are held this season.
This will have a major impact on clubs, especially small and medium ones that do not have significant financial capabilities or huge sponsorship contracts. It is feared that the economic impact of this will extend beyond football, as sport contributes 1.4% of the total GDP in Spain, according to figures published by the League.
In England, where television broadcasting contracts are among the most expensive in the world, it is expected that the Premier League clubs will be able to bear the losses, which may be caused by stopping the games for a short period, and may reach 120 million euros per month, but the biggest impact will affect the three lowest-ranking clubs, which Her competitions, such as the Women's League matches, were also postponed.
North of England, the situation looks even worse for Scotland clubs, with large TV contracts almost completely absent, and clubs face the prospect of a severe financial squeeze if matches are stopped long.
The next hiatus will be a test for the various parties to the game, who have found themselves in front of a scenario that no one could have imagined. After floundering in the early days of deferring matches and keeping others, or preventing fans from attending, the option was decided to postpone the stages temporarily rather than setting them up in front of empty stands, which would lose the game a lot of its luster and enthusiasm for players and viewers alike.
What could reassure clubs, at least, that broadcast television contracts and their revenues will sooner or later find their way to their vaults, and will somehow offset the absence of matches and stadium revenue throughout the layoff. Nevertheless, economic concerns remain a key player in the corridors.
In the event that the Spanish Football League ends early, the Liga clubs will lose 600 million euros, along with other indirect losses.