Some English football clubs may not survive prolonged periods without spectators as the economic pains from COVID-19 measures begin to impact sports' revenue streams, Mark Palios, the former chief executive of England's Football Association, said Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2020) Some English football clubs may not survive prolonged periods without spectators as the economic pains from COVID-19 measures begin to impact sports' revenue streams, Mark Palios, the former chief executive of England's Football Association, said Tuesday.
Sky news hosted the football authority and inquired as to whether some English towns may lose their football clubs before fans are allowed back into stadia.
"I hate to be sensationalist but I suspect that may well be the case," Palios said.
He went on to explain that by deciding to restart the football season in September, most clubs became forced to pay their players and staff while losing one of the major sources of revenue � matchday ticket sales.
According to Palios, smaller clubs in lower leagues are feeling the economic pinch more from this, since they depend on ticket sales more heavily than larger Premier League clubs, which can rely on larger broadcast revenue and commercial deals.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government earlier in the year led the charge to restart football season in order to boost morale in the football-crazed nation. Palios said that during negotiations between clubs, associations and governments, there was an understanding that fans would be allowed around October.
Reopening stadiums appears wholly unlikely, as COVID-19 infections are accelerating in the UK as in many other countries.
