How Coronavirus Will Completely Change Football
Amid the worldwide pandemic, football - after nearly two complete months' lockdown - returned, first in Germany with Bundesliga, to be followed by others such as Premier League, Serie A, and La Liga. Europe's Top Flights have been given the all-clear to resume league fixtures, however, matches will take place behind closed doors.
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| Dortmund players celebrating in front of empty stands |
What Is The Common View?
Across Germany, accepting, as well as dismissive reactions were recorded.
“Without you, it’s all worthless! Football lives through its fans!” Banners displayed at
second-division St Pauli before their game with Nuremberg as a protest against
‘ghost games’.
“There is something surreal about it. In the two hours before the match,
you receive text messages from all over the world, people who tell you that
they are going to watch the match on TV, and then you drive through your city
and there is absolutely nothing happening. You have to get used to it,” said Borussia Dortmund chief
executive Hans-Joachim Watzke after his team’s 4-0 win over local rivals
Schalke.
“For us, the situation is not really new. We have already been training in
empty stadiums. Also as a coach, I have trained youth teams in the past and I
always heard myself shouting. We are just as happy to be able to go back to our
work as the cook who prepares a good meal again. We are just as happy as anyone
else who tries to do creative things.” said Freiburg coach Christian Streich.
“It felt a bit like the atmosphere you get for the old man’s football, 7 pm,
under floodlights, but as soon as the ball started to roll, the game took our
focus,” said Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller on the empty ground at Union Berlin. (Source)
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| Thomas Muller |
It is a big shift, indeed. Fans, without a doubt, are the lifeblood of any sport. Why fans are so essential extends beyond creating an atmosphere in stadiums. With fans, there is a culture that surrounds the team, in times of success, and also in times of failure. It is people, of all walks of life - socioeconomically, racially - coming together as one special community.
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| Union Berlin Fans |
However, public health is in jeopardy. The outbreak of the ongoing pandemic means we live in a time of force majeure - circumstances that could not have been prevented - and it's vital that we de-escalate or alter our behaviors to suit the present situation.
For quite some time, football will have to be played this way, without fans, until mass gatherings are deemed safe, following a successful vaccine for the Coronavirus.
What Is The Resumption Process?
As per Health guidelines, training sessions were only permitted following 'negative' test results on the squad players of respective clubs.
As advised, training sessions were held in consideration of Social Distancing rules; practicing in small groups, reducing assemblage through expanded training area, wearing protective masks, etc.
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| Barcelona's Trio |
The idea is, for domestic football to return by the mid of June, and the UEFA Champions League, latest by August. Else it could all domino toward a more outlying issue, such as when the next season might begin.
How Will Most Clubs Adjust To These Changes?
Before getting to the question above, it is important to understand how most clubs actually do function, financially, and how they drive-in revenue. To name a few revenue streams:
Typically, a football club earns through these revenue streams. But that was the pre-pandemic era. Things are likely to be affected on a large scale. To begin with, what about small clubs who depend a lot on matchday revenues? How are they going to cope with their expenses and staffs' wages without any inflow? This is where the struggle begins.
Big club, or small, some expenses are incurred week in and out. Staff and players' wages, accommodation and travel expenses at away games, academy team expenses, expenses on medical equipment, training venue, cleaning services, administration, special projects, and on marketing. How smoothly these expenses are taken care of depends upon how financially stable the club is. But even with most big clubs today, financial stability is not there as losses are incurred rather frequently, with loans and outstanding interest payments as it is.
With revenue streams having drastically shrunken in the post-pandemic era, with the expenses just the same, most clubs will be unable to make ends meet.
- TV deals
- Transfers
- Sponsorships
- Merchandise Sales
- New Ownerships
- Ticket Sales
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| Finance in Football |
Typically, a football club earns through these revenue streams. But that was the pre-pandemic era. Things are likely to be affected on a large scale. To begin with, what about small clubs who depend a lot on matchday revenues? How are they going to cope with their expenses and staffs' wages without any inflow? This is where the struggle begins.
Big club, or small, some expenses are incurred week in and out. Staff and players' wages, accommodation and travel expenses at away games, academy team expenses, expenses on medical equipment, training venue, cleaning services, administration, special projects, and on marketing. How smoothly these expenses are taken care of depends upon how financially stable the club is. But even with most big clubs today, financial stability is not there as losses are incurred rather frequently, with loans and outstanding interest payments as it is.
With revenue streams having drastically shrunken in the post-pandemic era, with the expenses just the same, most clubs will be unable to make ends meet.
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