EVEN THE ELITE SET TO FEEL TV PINCH
IN AUSTRALIA, eight of the 11 A-league clubs have stopped paying their players because there is a very real threat the television money won’t be paid now the games have been postponed.
That raises a huge question about the viability of football across the globe because TV companies everywhere will be looking at this situation and wondering if they can keep paying the huge sums for games that may not take place.
I’m not comparing the Premier League to the A-league for a second.
But the reality is that, if the season doesn’t resume, there’s a grim reality that will kick in – just as it has done in Australia.
When I flew back to the UK to be with my family, a really horrible situation was developing.
Fox Sports, the TV company, were looking at the contracts and the clubs were realising they didn’t have the income to continue.
I don’t know how that will play out and I sincerely hope there can be a solution, but it doesn’t take a leap of imagination to understand it can happen with the Premier League, too.
We think it’s about clubs such as Manchester United and City and Liverpool, who generate lots of revenue, or Chelsea, who have a rich owner in Roman Abramovich.
But there are Brighton, Burnley, Sheffield United and so many others, such as Bournemouth, who have crowds of around 12,000, so they are totally reliant on TV money.
If the games can’t be played, then Sky and BT will look at their contracts, just as Fox are doing.
I think it’s paramount — vital even — that the Premier League has given the EFL £120million to ensure there is a future for the game lower down the pyramid, but there’s a terrible threat hanging over the top level, too.
And, with the Premier League admitting there is no chance of games being played in May, it’s a very, very real threat.
This is a surreal situation – an unprecedented one – and a global crisis that is far beyond football’s sphere.
But it affects the business of football, just as it is affecting so many businesses worldwide, and you genuinely fear what will be left in the economic rubble when this is all over.