Lennon calls for creative thinking to avoid Covid casualties
Celtic manager warns clubs could go bust with
NEIL LENNON is aware that he speaks from a privileged position as manager of such a massive football club, and that Celtic will more than likely still be standing come the end of the coronavirus pandemic, whenever that may eventually be.
But even an institution like Celtic isn’t immune to the financial impact that has been wrought by the virus, and specifically the decision this week to postpone the return of supporters to stadiums, perhaps even for another six months. For Lennon, that prospect is unthinkable, both from a sporting and a fiscal point of view. Indeed, unless there is a way to accommodate supporters before too long, he believes that there may be clubs who do go to the wall.
And even if Celtic aren’t among them, he is aware that there will still be a negative impact on his club.
“I don’t know what it will do from a financial point of view,”
Lennon said. “It won’t help, that’s for sure. I do think there has to be a compromise.
“I do think it is safer to sit at a safe distance in an open-air venue than go and watch it in a pub or a restaurant. We need to find some smart solutions for this. Whether that is football as a sport or all sports.
“This isn’t good for the infrastructure of sport in the UK and the longer it goes on the more difficult it is going to become. I was looking at some head of associations on Tuesday saying there has to be some sort of compromise because, otherwise, clubs are going to be on the brink of extinction – and it’s not just Scotland. There is £700m in revenue that could be lost to the [English] Premier League and that filters into the Championship, League One and League Two.
“I know the Prime Minister is wary of the effect it could have on sport and there has to be some sort of dialogue between the FA, the SPFL and the government to find some compromise because, if they are talking six months down the line, that’s no good for anybody.”
Lennon hopes that selling off their best china isn’t one of the avenues that Celtic are forced to go down in order to mitigate the worst ravages of the ongoing situation.
I think it is safer to sit at a safe distance in an open-air venue