Football The Government must help us through this ‘serious crisis’ says Wael
The Government has to step up and provide the assistance because it is the one that decided no fans are allowed back in
WAEL Al-Qadi has promised he “won’t let anything threaten” Bristol Rovers as the club faces its “most serious crisis” in the coronavirus pandemic.
The club president has demanded action from the Government to support EFL clubs financially after it decided to delay the much-needed return of fans to stadiums. The Government has guaranteed funding for teams in the National League, but has urged the Premier League to support itself and the EFL through the crisis.
But in a wide-ranging exclusive interview with the Bristol Post, AlQadi insisted “something must be done” in Westminster to help clubs, which have seen their revenue streams dry up due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
“Let me be clear, this is the most serious crisis the club has ever faced and the biggest threat to its existence,” the Rovers owner said.
“Having said that, this club was founded in 1883 and I won’t let anything threaten the situation here. However, something must be done. The Government has to step up and provide the assistance because it is the one that decided no fans are allowed back in.
“If you look at the situation in Europe, in Spain, Germany and Italy fans are being allowed back in reduced capacities and the situation is not different to the UK.
“They took this decision and I think there is a huge disconnect in the Government. We must try to convince them to review and review and review again until they remedy the situation.”
Al-Qadi, following a change in ownership structure, capitalised in excess of £18 million in loans owed to his company Dwane Sports by Rovers and wrote off £2 million in interest in the summer to leave the club “substantively debt free”.
He has also committed to covering losses incurred by the club through the pandemic.
Rovers’ CEO Martyn Starnes told the Bristol Post the club’s income had been “savaged” by the crisis, with the lack of supporters at games “wiping £3.5 million off” the annual turnover.
Starnes believes the Premier League does have a role to play, but recognises it “has its own problems” and the Government must be at the forefront.
“The Government owes us a bit of a debt because the money professional football pays into the coffers every year is massive,” he said. “Just from this club, a relatively small club playing in the third tier, if you add up all the tax we pay, it’s £2.5million a year. If you multiply that number throughout the game, I don’t know what it is but it would be substantial. There are a number of clubs that are really concerned about their ability to fund a complete season unless they get some support.
“It is a very serious situation if the whole of the football pyramid in this country is threatened. If we have four or five teams in every division going out of business, where do we go from there?
“I think that is a possibility unless help arrives soon.”
Fans were due to return to stadiums in limited capacities on October 3, but the Government scrapped those plans after a nationwide rise in Covid-19 cases. But Al-Qadi and Starnes insist the return of supporters “absolutely” should have gone ahead as planned.
“It was trialled and the results were perfect,” said Al-Qadi. “It’s being done in Europe and we don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t happen.”
While he has committed to ensuring the Gas survives the pandemic, Al-Qadi remains passionate that action must be taken by the authorities to ensure the long-term future of the game at large. “We shouldn’t just look at Bristol Rovers and say ‘we’ll be OK’,” he continued. “We’re part of a group. If the group is damaged we’ll be damaged.
“We’re all looking at this as a collective and we’re trying to convince the authorities and the league that the situation is very serious.”