Will Futbol ever recover from the COVID dilemma?
Leo Braham
The globe’s most-watched sport is now grappling with the devastating effects of COVID-19, and the possible long-term damage it could cause to the sport.
Although businesses around the world have been hit hard by the pandemic, sports, in particular soccer, have been hit the hardest. With almost no way to make money, and high maintenance and salary costs, the question is, how will clubs be able to survive?
Many people are missing the weekly pastime of watching their favorite soccer team battle it out against rivals for 90 minutes on a pristine green field. With a global pandemic ravaging nations around the world, packing 60,000+ people into a large stadium hardly seems like a good idea. Increasing numbers of infections among players has led to the cancellation of ALL major soccer leagues.
Clubs are currently fighting with their players to determine who exactly will be hit the hardest (financially) by the pandemic. Players are getting frustrated as they refuse to take pay cuts, all while the general public turns against what now seems like vain and self-interested soccer stars. Additionally, many people are wondering when exactly soccer will return. Many dates and ideas have been thrown around, but it looks like the Premier League, the largest soccer league in the world, will aim to continue its season in the early parts of summer.
Experts within the British government have said that the Premier League can continue its season without fans in attendance as early as June 1st, paving the way for the Premier League to become the 2nd major soccer league to begin reopening.
With the sport as a whole being worth an estimated $35 Billion, as well as soccer being an important cultural asset to many nations, its long term stability and viability is important to hundreds of millions of people around the globe.
Whether or not soccer reopens soon, and regardless of the potential effects of COVID on soccer. We are all waiting and anticipating the exciting return or the world’s favorite sport.
