Football clubs, broadcasters in England, Europe in disarray as pandemic disrupts matches

Losses huge if no more matches are played; big question is whether clubs or broadcasters will take financial hit

Published Mon, Mar 16, 2020 · 09:50 PM

London

FOOTBALL clubs in England and across Europe, as well as broadcasters, are in disarray following the decision to postpone matches due to take place for the rest of the month, with no certainty that they can even resume at all in April should the Covid-19 pandemic escalate in the coming weeks.

The losses are substantial - hundreds of millions of euros, and possibly even billions - if no more matches are played, and the big question is whether the clubs or the broadcasters end up taking the financial hit, lawyers say.

According to Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance, the tot…