Simon Jordan insists English football has a duty to go behind closed doors and reduce the threat of coronavirus.
It seems increasingly likely that Premier League matches will be played in empty stadiums at some point as ‘social distancing’ methods are phased in, but as of yet, the football calendar is going ahead as planned.
This is despite Italy, the second-worst affected nation behind China, postponing all domestic sport until April 3, and the top two divisions in Spain and France going behind closed doors for the foreseeable future.
There are fears a similar move in the UK could inflict serious financial damage on the Football League pyramid, especially for the less wealthy clubs lower down, and Gary Neville recently tweeted in opposition of the idea.
However, Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman, argues some things are more important than football, and removing the threat of the virus spreading must come first.
“The most important thing is that we have a very significant disease,” he told talkSPORT. “It’s an epidemic that has the potential to become a pandemic.
“What we have to do is stop this disease in its tracks. If that means that sport, where huge amounts of people gather, has to go behind closed doors, then that’s what it means – end of discussion.”
COVID-19 cases in the UK have risen to 373, with six deaths, and the outbreak is expected to worsen in the coming weeks.
It seems the only thing keeping stadiums open is the fear of economic harm, but Jordan rubbished the idea that football clubs wouldn’t be able to absorb the financial hit of playing behind closed doors for two weeks.
“Each Premier League club, if they went behind closed doors [for two weeks], would probably lose £2million,” he added.
“If they can afford to pay Antonio Conte £85m to buzz off, some of these football clubs can absorb that within the confines of their framework.
“You’re talking about League One clubs losing about £80,000. If they have to go behind closed doors, it’s not ideal, but if you’re in League One and you’re going to go bust over £80,000, then you’re already in trouble.
“This landscape that somehow football is going to die, the League One and League Two clubs are going to fall off the planet if they lose this revenue, while I’m not making it a light subject, I’m saying we need some context.”
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There have been suggestions that Premier League clubs could offer solidarity payments to lower league clubs to soften the blow of missing out on gate receipts.
However, Jordan considers this unlikely, and instead offered another solution for clubs who may suffer the most.
“Let me just dispel a myth – if anyone thinks the Premier League are going to come riding over the horizon and give anybody any money, despite the arguments about solidarity payments, they need to go back to the bed and sleep on it.
“You can go to the FA and say we know you’ve got big cash balances – pony up! We’re part of your organisation, in circumstances like this, you’re going to have to pony up £10m to bridge the gap that these clubs have lost as a result of this extreme set of circumstances.
“That should be the direction this goes in, rather than this idea that somehow football is going to collapse under the weight of having to do what society needs it to do, which is to be a lightning rod in triggering how serious this disease can be, by shutting down football stadiums when it’s required.”
