ClapAcross Europe, and in fact across the whole world, it certainly feels as if we’re starting to come towards a crossroads in the battle against COVID-19. In the world of football, though, as we start to get down to the nitty-gritty of figuring out exactly what needs to be done in order to get back to playing, things are a little bit more complicated than that.
There’s a clear understanding that the game needs to be the second priority above the health of those all across the globe, and yet, the finances involved appear to be at the forefront of the decision makers.
That’s not something everyone is going to be all too pleased with, and rightfully so, with Eredivisie and Ligue 1 already making the difficult decision to void the season and look ahead to the next.
The German Bundesliga looks set to return in the next few weeks after a great deal of speculation over what decision they’d make, but beyond that, we’re all still left waiting for an official word on what many other countries plan on doing.
One such example of that is the English Premier League which, as we know, resides in a nation that currently holds the highest death toll in Europe and the second highest in the world behind the United States of America.
The popular theory amongst fans with less than a brain cell to their name would be to just let fans back into the stadiums so that they can embrace and enjoy the beautiful game once again. Unfortunately for them, we all know that’s far from possible at this moment in time.
The much more likely outcome is that we’re going to see plenty of games take place behind closed doors, and that could potentially last all the way through until 2021 – and maybe even beyond.
That’s going to serve as quite the detriment to these teams, and in all honesty, it’s difficult to understand the ‘risk/reward’ ratio, here.
Football is obviously an incredibly important part of all our lives, but so is, you know, living.
The players themselves have even started to voice their displeasure that plans are being put in place for the league to return, when in reality, it feels like they should just cut their losses and deal with the consequences as they come.
Clubs who have full confidence in their ability to go on an do some wonderful things once football goes back to normal need to understand that this is nothing more than a bump in the road for them.
Financially, yes, they need the revenue they get from people coming through the turnstiles on matchday, but hopefully, the government will be able to step in and help out in some way, shape or form.
Whether or not that’s likely has yet to be determined, but we do feel as if the momentum is starting to really build for some kind of ‘movement’.
For now, all we can do is sit back and hope they make the most sensible decision possible. Stay safe, everyone.
