One Premier League owner has fired a warning about the dire consequences of football not resuming this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the unnamed club chief stated his belief that as many as 90 per cent of football clubs could go bust if the 2019/20 campaign cannot be played out.
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The season is currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe, and it had initially looked like it could be some time before we could expect to see players back on the pitch again.
However, Sky Sports are the latest to report of a growing determination to get back to playing by June, and it’s easy to see why club owners are concerned.
While the health and safety of the nation obviously has to come first, there could also be untold harm ahead in terms of job losses and damage to the economy if football clubs go out of business.
If games return behind closed doors, it could massively reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading to the most vulnerable groups in society, of which footballers don’t really seem to come into, based on evidence around the world so far.
The report explains, however, that players won’t be forced to play again if they personally feel unsafe doing so, and while it’s easy to think young and healthy athletes won’t be the most vulnerable, that doesn’t mean they won’t have family or friends who they’ll be concerned about passing the illness onto.
Sky Sports add that players would be isolated in hotels for however long it takes to complete the season, with 92 games still remaining in total in the Premier League.
The French seasons have officially now been cancelled, but it could be that other countries are not going to follow suit as the Guardian have previously reported on the Bundesliga targeting a return in May, though this still needs approval from their government.