Why City and Foxes would have been the biggest losers in 29-game season
Football had no choice but to honour the huge TV contracts even if it means Liverpool win the title behind closed doors
THE Premier League is stuck on 29 games due to the coronavirus pandemic with many saying Liverpool are so far ahead they should be handed the title.
But in seasons past the outcome of the title race would have looked very different if the campaign had ground to a halt at the same point.
And research by Sporting Index shows Manchester City are the side that would have been hurt the most.
City would have won two Premier League titles rather than four if each season ended after 29 games. They famously sealed their first in 2010-11 when Sergio Aguero scored a 93rd-minute winner against QPR on the final day. But the trophy would have been won by Manchester United if that campaign had stopped early, as they were one point clear at the top.
City’s second title in 2013-14 would also not have stood, with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea sitting on top of the pile with nine games to play.
Leicester’s unlikely title run in 2015-16 would never have happened either, as the Foxes would have been relegated the previous year.
However, Claudio Ranieri’s side were top by a distance that season after matchweek 29 was complete.
Aston Villa would have been the Premier League’s’s first champions in 1993 instead of Manchester United.
And Kevin Keegan’s ‘I’d love it’ rant would not have been needed as Newcastle would also be among the list of league winners if the 1995-96 season had ended nine games early.
Titles won by different teams
Stats by Sporting Index
IT WAS the decision they couldn’t afford not to take.
Ultimately, the £3billion TV contract was the biggest factor in pushing the Premier League to get games back on again – and to complete the season.
Sky’s contract is basically 128 games each year multiplied by three and that, along with BT Sport’s deal, is what bankrolls the top flight.
That is why the fixture list must be completed even if it is behind closed doors, why next season can only start after this campaign ends and why they simply cannot afford to default on the deal.
It is the same also for the EFL and their deal with Sky because it would be unthinkable for them to lose the TV cash which clubs rely on and without which they would go to the wall.
The ideal would be to resume football on the weekend of May 2 and 3 but that would have to be behind closed doors. That would at least satisfy the TV companies while armchair fans would be happy after weeks of no games.
No one wants empty, soulless stadiums and it would be a horrible prospect for Liverpool to win and lift their first Premier League trophy at a deserted Anfield.
But at least there would be a realistic chance of finishing the season over the summer – and allowing the 2020-21 campaign to begin within a reasonable timescale.
Euro 2020 has been put back a year, it means the Champions League and Europa League could get played next season and the whole football calendar does not go into meltdown.
The Football Association also played their part by waiving the “archaic rule” – as one football insider called it – that the domestic season should be finished by June 1, which was originally brought in to give players a rest and also let other sports have their turn in the spotlight.
TV money is what makes the football world go round.
A few years ago, clubs tried to build super stadiums because gate receipts and income were thought to be the future – and yet the TV cash has spiralled so much since then that nothing else matters.
The Premier League video conference was conducted by Skype with Claudia Arney chairing the meeting, Andy Ambler representing the FA and the League’s executive director Bill Bush while commercial, TV and legal experts also took part along with the 20 clubs.
Some dialled in by video, others just on the call and yet they were all agreed that they must get this season finished and next season started even if it means playing rafts of games behind closed doors.
Playing behind closed doors, according to one source, was not discussed because it was simply accepted that it will be happening because they need to finish the games.
Premier League clubs either have nine or 10 games each left to play, around £380million worth of TV slots, but the reality is that if they default then the whole TV contract and billions of pounds is in jeopardy.
That would threaten the very future of top-flight clubs in the same way that EFL clubs – from Championship down to League Two – are feeling a very real threat to their survival. They would not be able to pay the players, pay staff or pay the bills.
Manchester United yesterday joined Crystal Palace in making a goodwill gesture by promising to pay matchday staff come what may.
It is understood that voiding the season – as West Ham chief Karren Brady naively suggested previously – is off the table and, even though no one knows what comes next, they do believe they now have a clear timeframe and target to finish the season.