Crawley’s cash plea to Leeds
Crawley Leeds Sunday, 1.30pm
CRAWLEY manager John Yems has called for Leeds United to donate their FA Cup prize money to his club following Sunday’s third round clash.
The West Sussex side cannot fully capitalise on the financial benefits of facing Premier League opposition in a moneyspinning tie due to the current nationwide lockdown preventing fans from attending.
While bumper gate receipts are out of the question, winners of the televised tie at Broadfield Stadium are set to pocket £61,500 from the Football Association, while the losers will collect £20,500.
In-form Crawley, who are in League Two promotion contention, will also receive TV money from arguably the biggest game in their history.
Yems insists keeping the club afloat is his main concern as lower league sides across the country battle the harsh financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: “I just hope Leeds donate their money back to us, which would be a very good gesture, so we can start paying for a few things.
“You wouldn’t get as much as you would normally because of no crowd.
“But in the current climate, big clubs, it would be nice like they used to in the old days that some clubs might donate a little bit back to you.
“But who knows? “There are a lot of clubs that have got their backs to the wall.
“I’m not saying we have, but my priority is to make sure all the players are healthy and we’ve got a football club at the end of it all.
“That’s what’s important to me.”