Stadiums will be empty for some time

LONDON • Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Clarke does not believe fans will be allowed into stadiums "any time soon", warning that the coronavirus pandemic could cost English football's governing body £300 million (S$527 million).

All top European football leagues have been on ice since March and the English game has been similarly affected. The fifth-tier National Conference, which is non-league football, has already declared its season over.

While talks are still ongoing to see how best to safely resume the four professional divisions, including the Premier League, there are already growing fears that the next campaign is facing as big of a disruption as the current one due to safe distancing guidelines.

"With social distancing in place for some time to come, we do face substantial changes to the whole football ecosystem," Clarke acknowledged in a letter to the FA Council yesterday .

"For example, it's hard to foresee crowds of fans, who are the lifeblood of the game, returning to matches any time soon."

While no resumption date has been set, the Premier League is still hopeful of completing the season behind closed doors. Coined "Project Restart", the plan aims to prevent a predicted £1 billion loss if the campaign cannot be completed, with eight to 10 neutral venues being looked at as a form of keeping travel to a minimum.

Further down the domestic pyramid, where gate receipts make up a much higher percentage of revenue without lucrative TV deals, there are doubts over whether a new season can even start without fans being allowed to attend.

The FA has also been affected by the cancellation of at least four England fixtures and the continued suspension of the FA Cup.

On cost-cutting measures to mitigate the financial blow of Covid-19, Clarke revealed that a "sensible" £75 million budget cut had been agreed. While stability will be ensured for the near future, he admitted that areas like grassroots football would suffer the brunt of a scale-back in funds.

"In a worst-case scenario, this would be necessary for the next four years to offset a £300 million deficit," he added. "Clearly that will impact many of our plans as every area of the game will be touched and projects that we all value will be affected."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE