The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic should lead to significant changes in the way football is run, Brighton chairman Tony Bloom believes.
The suspension of football has caused serious financial harm to hundreds of football clubs around the country, and Bloom believes the situation has raised questions over the sustainability of a model which sees such large percentages of club revenues spent on player wages.
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“After this situation is resolved – and hopefully that doesn’t take too long – I do think football will come together because right now lots of clubs are at risk of going bust,” Bloom said.
Speaking on a conference call, Bloom added: “We were all devastated when Bury went because we know how key clubs are to their communities and it’s a big concern going forward that more clubs in this country and in others will fold.
“It does need to be looked at at all levels. It really isn’t sustainable and it needs something like this crisis to get across some significant change.”
Bloom called on the Professional Footballers’ Association to look beyond protecting player wages in the short term, saying if there cannot be some movement from the players’ union they may find clubs go out of business.
“I think it’s time for the PFA to step up and look at the wider picture,” he said.
“There are players with contracts running out soon but also younger players who don’t have contracts right now, and players lower down the leagues – a lot of those clubs literally won’t have money to pay wages in a month or two.
“The last thing we need is for so many clubs to go into administration and maybe not get out of it. There is a wider picture here and the PFA has a wider responsibility.”
Premier League clubs are due to meet on Friday to discuss the next steps, with reports emerging that a growing number are calling for the season to be ended – one way or another – no later than June 30.
“We would like to finish the season,” Bloom said. “There does come a point when we can’t keep waiting but I don’t think June 30 is that point.
“There’s talk about player contracts and sponsorship and it’s difficult to play beyond that but this situation is so unique and unprecedented every option should be looked at.”The club’s chief executive Paul Barber warned games may need to be played behind closed doors for an extended period.”
Give COVID-19 the red card
The quicker we work together to stop coronavirus spreading, the sooner we can get back into the pubs, the gyms and stadiums and arenas to see live sport again…
STAY AT HOME. Only leave for the following purposes:
- to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
- to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
- for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
- to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary
For more info and tips, visit the NHS website.
The government has also issued further detail on what we can do during lockdown.
Everyone should do what they can to stop coronavirus spreading.
“A lot of this is imperfect,” he continued.
“Integrity of the competition is paramount along with safety. If we have to play behind closed doors we have to accept we won’t have the same product but equally we have got to accept it might go on for sometime.
“Crowds probably won’t be allowed to assemble in our grounds for some time and that might be our new normal.
“People would love to be able to see a live football match, even behind closed doors, it would be something to look forward to but we’ve got to look to every eventuality and manage it the best we can.”
