IMPACT CEO OPTIMISTIC
Hopes to play full season
The business of sports, it seems, continues amid the coronavirus pandemic — even when no games are being played.
During a Friday morning availability by Impact president Kevin Gilmore, he paused briefly after hearing the sound of a bell ringing in an adjacent room. It signified the purchase of season tickets, although Major League Soccer has suspended play for 30 days and Montreal isn’t scheduled to play its first Saputo Stadium regular-season home game until April 18.
“Wow,” Gilmore said before breaking into a laugh. “I didn’t expect that today.”
That’s the thing. Nobody knows what to expect, the situation evolving rapidly due to the global spread of the COVID -19 pandemic.
Impact players and coaches were scheduled to fly Sunday to Honduras for the final-leg of its CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final Tuesday night against C.D. Olimpia. Montreal lost the first game of the aggregate-goal series 2-1 last Tuesday at Olympic Stadium.
But CONCACAF has suspended all of its competitions for the next 30 days as well, with the hope Champions League play will eventually resume.
Impact players, Gilmore said, have been asked to remain in Montreal because practice sessions are scheduled to resume on Monday, as decreed by MLS, unless the COVID -19 outbreak becomes more serious. If those practices are held, however, media won’t be permitted to attend. The players will continue receiving their salaries, he added.
Gilmore noted no Impact players or employees have shown signs of contracting the virus and there’s no anticipatory testing being done. He said the organization has a doctor on staff who specializes in infectious diseases, adding a contingency plan is in place should any player develop symptoms.
“This is a situation that’s never been experienced,” Gilmore said. “The key here is to take every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our players, fans, staff and the general public.
“Sport has always been something that brings people together,” Gilmore added. “It’s a source of joy and entertainment, an escape. It’s part of human nature to want to be together. We’ll all be affected, certainly. But like everything else, I hope we’ll adapt and come back stronger than ever.”
The Impact is undefeated in two MLS games, with a win and tie. It’s next three scheduled games were on the road — at Minnesota (March 21), Orlando (April 4) and Philadelphia (April 11). With the season having only started in late February, Gilmore’s optimistic the entire schedule will be played in some capacity. The regular-season ends in early October.
He said the issue of potentially playing games without spectators hasn’t been addressed. The league has been in discussions with its clubs for two or three weeks, Gilmore said. The decision to suspend play was unanimously supported.
“The fact is we’re at the start of our season. We have some buffer,” he said. “We’re a league that has ... the ability to play a full season without cutting it in half or three quarters ... then having to address playoffs.
“The idea is to push back the season and not have a truncated schedule. That could change.”
In the meantime, the Impact has lost any momentum it might have generated at a time when the Canadiens were likely to miss the playoffs and two months before the Alouettes are scheduled to begin training camp. The Impact has played three games at Olympic Stadium — two rounds of Champions League and one MLS match — and is averaging 20,911 spectators.
“People are understanding if professional sports leagues in North America are shutting down. It’s because this is a serious situation,” Gilmore said. “I envision a day in the not too distant future where we all move on and pick up where we left off. I don’t think that’s going to impact where we see ourselves this season and beyond.”
But should the suspension last indefinitely, the organization will suffer financially, Gilmore stated.
“Everyone’s going to suffer financially as a result of this,” he cautioned. “This is part of us living something we’ve never lived before. If we lose home games, we will lose revenues — as will everybody
We’ll all be affected, certainly. But like everything else, I hope we’ll adapt and come back stronger than ever.
else in the professional sports industry.”
While administration employees continue reporting to Saputo Stadium, he said they might work from home at some point. However, he didn’t address the issue of potential layoffs.
“It’s a hard time for everyone. Our employees are worried. They’re wondering what could happen with their jobs,” Gilmore said. “The league’s decision was taken with everyone’s best interest in mind. The decisions we’ll take internally will be in our employees’ best interest as well. We’re doing our best and hope we’re making the right decisions.”
The organization has established a special Twitter account (@IMFCCOVID19) to keep fans apprised of any developments.