Premier League executives have been told it will cost them £762 million in lost broadcast revenue if the 2019-20 season fails to finish due to the coronavirus, The Athletic can reveal.
The huge figure would come due to a breach of contract in terms agreed for domestic and international rights and was communicated to all 20 clubs during the crisis meeting at Premier League headquarters in London on Thursday morning.
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The suspension is understood to be costing Sky, one of the two main domestic broadcasters, huge amounts per day as they are not charging many sports customers and cannot attract the same in advertising.
The clubs receive broadcast money twice a year, in August and February, so only recently received the cash for the end of the season.
Some clubs are determined to get games played behind doors so they don’t lose the broadcast money, such is their vulnerable financial position. Their outgoings — players’ wages in particular — are so high that they fear they cannot survive without it. They want games to go ahead and players to be regularly tested. Training grounds would be sealed off and players “wrapped in cotton wool” to protect them from contracting the virus.
They feel it is not long until staff at Premier League clubs would have to be laid off, as has been the case at Lyon in France today. Some players in Germany have donated their wages so non-playing staff can stay employed. This is something many Premier League clubs would be in favour of.
Other clubs feel games behind closed doors is unrealistic and that the players will refuse to play if they feel their health or those around them is at risk, especially if the rest of the country is isolating to prevent the spread of the virus.
Rather than attend in person, a representative from each club dialled in to the conference chaired by Claudia Arney, the Premier League interim chair, to limit the potential spread of the disease, and the response to the massive price of curtailing the campaign early was said to be sanguine rather than shock. Those in charge of top-flight clubs accepted the consequences of being unable to fulfil fixtures would be significant.
That is why, along with issues around competitive integrity, there remains a “100 per cent” commitment to completing the season whatever it may take, including the prospect of staging matches behind closed doors. The Athletic has previously reported on the potential for litigation if there is no relegation or promotion, aside from matters of European qualification.
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“We need to look outside accepted boundaries in football for a solution,” said a source. “Normal service won’t be resumed.”
As per expectations, the postponement to the professional football calendar was pushed back from April 4 to April 30 at the earliest but a joint-statement between the FA, the Premier League, the EFL and women’s professional game, together with the PFA and LMA, made plain that further, drastic action could yet be taken.
It read: “The FA’s Rules and Regulations state that ‘the season shall terminate not later than the 1 June’ and ‘each competition shall, within the limit laid down by The FA, determine the length of its own playing season’. However, The FA’s Board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019/20 season in relation to Professional Football.”
Those words confirmed the possibility that games could be played into June and even July if necessary and the consensus on that extension was described as “unanimous” in a “far from dramatic” meeting. “Clubs had decided for themselves about the best way forward before they spoke,” said a source. “Any attempt top go with table as it is now would cause uproar.”
Others, however, said there are administrators who “may get nervous” if football is not resumed by mid-May as there “wouldn’t seem to be time to get things done.”
There are also reservations among players, many of whom feel they will be left in limbo and as the delays go on, with some wondering whether it is really feasible to finish off the season after such a long break. It will be seven weeks by the time May begins.
Manchester United and Liverpool have announced they will be paying all casual staff irrespective of whether games are cancelled or go ahead behind closed doors.
In Liverpool’s case the pledge relates to the postponed homes games up to the end of April at a cost of £250,000 per match, while for United some 3,000 staff will be paid for each of the four remaining Premier League matches at the time they were scheduled to happen. It will cost United about £1 million in total. Should the games then go ahead at a subsequent date any staff working will be paid again.
The joint statement from football’s authorities concluded: “The progress of COVID-19 remains unclear and we can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority. We will continue to follow Government advice and work collaboratively to keep the situation under review and explore all options available to find ways of resuming the season when the conditions allow. We would all like to re-emphasise that our thoughts are with everyone affected by COVID-19.”