Clubs must adapt to idea of closed doors games

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber says clubs are going to have to adapt to the concept of playing behind closed doors for a long period of time, but is concernedabouttherepercussions.

With chief medical officer Chris Witty suggesting on Wednesday that some social distancing measures could remain in place for the rest of 2020 as the country tries to get to grips with coronavirus, the prospect of playing football matches in front of a crowd diminished further.

It is widely accepted that if the current Premier League season is to be completed it will be behind closed doors, though there are increasing hurdles to overcome for that to happen, with regards to player testing and TV rights.

Hopes of starting next season in front of a crowd are fading, which could have severe consequences for clubs up and down the country.

Barber said: “It’s going to be very difficult to play Premier League football behind closed doors.

“It’s going to be very difficult for football clubs right the way through the pyramid to not have the benefit of the matchday income that we all rely on. And the lower down the pyramid you go, where the broadcast income is less significant, the matchday income, by definition, is more significant.

“So, I must admit it concerns me hugely for football as a whole, for the industry as a whole. I think that it will put many clubs in a very, very difficult financial position.

“But it’s something, by the sounds of it, we are going to have to find a way of adapting to, not just commercially but also from a sporting point of view as well.

“The players are going to have to get used to it. But, again, every week that goes by, every month that goes by, we get more information and we process that information, we start to adapt to the new environment that we’re facing, and I daresay that, once again, we will process this information and start to think about our plans and how we adapt to it.”