IT HAS been a year now since big crowds were allowed inside football stadiums. A whole 12 months and the likelihood is that 2020-21 will be a complete “behind closed doors” campaign. The world’s most popular pastime had been consigned to a TV experience lacking in atmosphere. We’ve actually got used to a game played […]
WEST HAM UNITED’s 2019-20 financial accounts reveal the initial impact of the pandemic in 2020, but offer little comfort for the current season, which could be even more of a concern for the club. The Hammers’ turnover, at £ 140 million, was 27% down and the club’s net loss more than doubled to £ 65.3 […]
NOTTINGHAM Forest’s 2019-20 annual accounts were issued this week, revealing a net loss of £ 15.9 million – better than 2018-19 but displaying the symptoms of a club paying out more money than it earns. While the club is actively and demonstrably backed by owner Evangelos Marinakis, who underlined his support recently by converting £ […]
FOOTBALL is a results business, so for Chelsea, it was a case of job done in Bucharest. But if it is also deemed to be an entertainment industry, then it was, at times, white handkerchief territory in the Arena Nationala at times. Curiously, nobody has really considered the pandemic could be a competitive disadvantage for […]
THE total cost of the pandemic for top level football is still uncertain, but it is no secret that most clubs have felt the pressure of lost income, compromised commercial and broadcasting deals and the almost total loss of matchday revenues. What’s more, among the consequences of an industry dependent on mass gathering is a […]
SHOULD Lionel Messi and Barcelona fail to repair their differences over the coming months, and the little Argentinian magician decides to leave Catalonia for a swansong, who will be able to afford him? Messi will be costly, unless he opts for a charitable mission, perhaps one that elevates or enhances an under-achieving club while adding […]
SINCE the pandemic stopped normal life in its tracks, football has been bemoaning the loss of significant sums of matchday income that have pushed some clubs to the brink. Eventually, fans will be allowed back in the stadiums and clubs will start generating cash from admission prices. Some clubs will have suffered more than others […]
A NUMBER of top managers have questioned the logic behind continuing top level football as a new, more lethal, variant of the covid virus sweeps Britain and is now impacting the game. The recent FA Cup ties involving Aston Villa and Derby County featured well below full strength line-ups due to players being infected with […]
WITH much of Europe still in the mire when it comes to Covid-19 and the task of mass vaccination likely to stretch across the year, the time may have come to assess whether the European Championship needs to take place or not in 2021. UEFA may yet have to concede that hosting a pan-European competition […]
