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How long before Coronavirus impacts Football?

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Football, live crowd sports generally, live entertainment, airlines, cruises, B2B events.... companies, associations, people in these industries are going to have to make massive adjustments until there is a vaccine or treatment.

Large venues of all kinds are going to have a very tough couple of years, at least some of them will be able to reinvent and change purpose.
The big business of sports probably can't just pause at these player wage levels for another year.
Airlines are surely going to have the double whammy of impending climate change-related legislation - surely the cost and availability of air travel will change dramatically.
 
The Ref Stop
Well The OPEC fuel price was negative so if I was them I’d stock up now!
What will be a bitch is the lack of carbon dioxide, so even when the pubs can reopen their will be shortages!
 
Sheffields Finest said:
What will be a bitch is the lack of carbon dioxide, so even when the pubs can reopen their will be shortages!
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Don't worry, I'll happily drink it flat (and warm if necessary)

Question then...
Assuming we can't emulate our heroes in China by completely eradicating new cases, how on earth can professional football resume in any capacity? Should a single player or member of playing staff test positive, a Club would be paralysed by the contact tracing premise. Unless society is prepared to ignore such an eventuality, the game will be crippled by stop-start chaos. I see a future for many other sports in which the participants train separately, don't come into close contact with teammates/opponents and in which masks could be worn, but the footy crystal ball I found in my attic (this afternoon) is telling me ---> professional football is utterly 5h4gg3d!
 
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Big Cat said:
Don't worry, I'll happily drink it flat (and warm if necessary)

Question then...
Assuming we can't emulate our heroes in China by completely eradicating new cases, how on earth can professional football resume in any capacity? Should a single player or member of playing staff test positive, a Club would be paralysed by the contact tracing premise. Unless society is prepared to ignore such an eventuality, the game will be crippled by stop-start chaos. I see a future for many other sports in which the participants train separately, don't come into close contact with teammates/opponents and in which masks could be worn, but the footy crystal ball I found in my attic (this afternoon) is telling me ---> professional football is utterly 5h4gg3d!
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They are talking about testing the players then isolating them before and after games until the next game, and so on. Lots of empty hotels so that shouldn't be too tricky, bigger problem is the support staff needed at a stadium even to play behind closed doors, estimated at 500 for the bigger grounds.

If they can keep the players isolated from everyone else, including family, it might work and seemingly has an element of government backing. I can't see football with crowds resuming until next year though.
 
RustyRef said:
They are talking about testing the players then isolating them before and after games until the next game, and so on. Lots of empty hotels so that shouldn't be too tricky, bigger problem is the support staff needed at a stadium even to play behind closed doors, estimated at 500 for the bigger grounds.

If they can keep the players isolated from everyone else, including family, it might work and seemingly has an element of government backing. I can't see football with crowds resuming until next year though.
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After the announcement of testing being made available to key workers, I think football will be back by the end of May. I also think crowds will be back for the start of the 2020-21 season. I only hope the number of new cases and fatalities continue to fall rapidly.
 
2021... I can’t wait, Greasy Chip butties, European football at Bramall Lane, Leeds returning to the promised land and Wednesday visiting Priestfield! 😂
 
More detail here from Spain... a month of preparation with daily testing (tests already acquired) starting in small groups.
www.theguardian.com

Daily Covid-19 tests and biodegradable kit bags: La Liga's plan to restart season

Spanish football hopes in May to start a four-stage process of testing and training that will allow games amid the coronavirus crisis
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Meanwhile UEFA has said leagues can end now and still quality for Europe but leagues "must decide for themselves how to determine final placings “based on sporting merit”.

Wowzers... Liverpool City play off anyone?
 
santa sangria said:
More detail here from Spain... a month of preparation with daily testing (tests already acquired) starting in small groups.
www.theguardian.com

Daily Covid-19 tests and biodegradable kit bags: La Liga's plan to restart season

Spanish football hopes in May to start a four-stage process of testing and training that will allow games amid the coronavirus crisis
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Meanwhile UEFA has said leagues can end now and still quality for Europe but leagues "must decide for themselves how to determine final placings “based on sporting merit”.

Wowzers... Liverpool City play off anyone?
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The plan outlined by La Liga is all very thorough, but it somehow doesn't fill me with confidence. I've always thought that money would do the talking eventually; and the summer months look set to host the conflict between Covid and some as-semblance of normal life
 
Brian Hamilton said:
After the announcement of testing being made available to key workers, I think football will be back by the end of May. I also think crowds will be back for the start of the 2020-21 season. I only hope the number of new cases and fatalities continue to fall rapidly.
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Can't see that somehow Brian. Certainly not the "crowds back" for the end of August (which is when the 20-21 season would start). The government is talking about reduced social distancing measures being retained until the end of the year. If the pubs and restaurants ain't opening per se then crowds at football matches surely ain't gonna be permitted. :confused:
 
santa sangria said:
Meanwhile UEFA has said leagues can end now and still quality for Europe but leagues "must decide for themselves how to determine final placings “based on sporting merit”.

Wowzers... Liverpool City play off anyone?
Click to expand...

From what I've read, UEFA weren't talking about final placings being decided by sporting merit; they were saying teams entering European competitions must be decided by sporting merit. Therefore, no playoff as Liverpool are already guaranteed top 4.
 
Blades have a game in hand against Villa, that matters at both ends, if we win it we would be in the CL places assuming Citee are still banned. (That’s worth around least £25 million). Should Villa win then that’s bad for West Ham and teams like Brighton. Circa £150 million drop in revenue... It’s a mess!
 
Kes said:
Can't see that somehow Brian. Certainly not the "crowds back" for the end of August (which is when the 20-21 season would start). The government is talking about reduced social distancing measures being retained until the end of the year. If the pubs and restaurants ain't opening per se then crowds at football matches surely ain't gonna be permitted. :confused:
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You're totally right that football will need to be treated in a way that is in keeping with what is happening in the wider social environment. Though it's tricky to compare an open air sport with in door entertainment (not just pubs and restaurants but also things like cinemas, theatres etc). In reality, at most levels of football, IMO the "crowd" is unlikely to be the biggest issue as there is plenty of space for fans to social distance at the vast majority of matches (and where it is an issue there could be limits put on attendance). The more basic challenge is that of the players, where social distancing is impossible. At the highest levels, where money is paramount, there may well be workarounds as others have outlined above. However in non league the million dollar question is whether players will want / be allowed to be in close quarters with random strangers on a regular basis ... this will totally depend on whether they are also doing likewise in other walks of life and this, in turn, will depend on just how quickly countries can replicate the relative success now being seen in countries like China, Korea, Australia and/or recognition that the economic impact from the restrictions will, in the end, be just as detrimental to health as Covid itself. Interesting times ahead .....
 
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I've always been predominantly conscious of the impact of the restrictions. That said, if I was in Government, I'd have followed a similar suppression strategy because it's unthinkable for any Minister to sign an immediate mass death warrant. It's a concern that Democracies are intrinsically driven by votes and point scoring. Whitehall have been insulting to anyone with average intelligence and above. Relentless soundbites, daily disingenuous Party Political Broadcasts (press conferences) and a paralysis when it comes to replying to any question with an answer. I don't think any Government has much control overall. Each country's policy will be closely watched by every other nation, copying success and learning from other's mistakes. The UK are already easing out of restrictions because others have started the process. For us, the Bundesliga will likely be our guinea pig

The lockdown has served to act as a boot-camp for what lies ahead
 
Mr Dean said:
From what I've read, UEFA weren't talking about final placings being decided by sporting merit; they were saying teams entering European competitions must be decided by sporting merit. Therefore, no playoff as Liverpool are already guaranteed top 4.
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Good point. I don't get what the outcome might be. The Grauniad's piece said:

"In a statement Uefa said: “The ideal scenario, should the pandemic situation permit it, is to have the currently suspended domestic competitions completed ... in their original format. Should this outcome not be possible, it would be preferable that suspended domestic competitions would restart with a different format in a manner which would still facilitate clubs to qualify on sporting merit.”

The statement goes on, however: “While using best efforts to complete the domestic competitions, national associations and/or leagues might have legitimate reasons to prematurely terminate their domestic competitions.”

Uefa then requests that, if terminated leagues are to submit clubs to European competition in the 2021-22 season, they do so “based on sporting merit”, determining final placings “on objective, transparent and non-discriminatory principles”. While leaving open some flexibility, the recommendation would seem to encourage a solution where an incomplete league table is organised on a points-per-game basis."


My bold to highlight the bit confused me and I thought was saying - e.g. playoffs instead of the 10 games...
 
Sheffields Finest said:
2021... I can’t wait, Greasy Chip butties, European football at Bramall Lane, Leeds returning to the promised land and Wednesday visiting Priestfield! 😂
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Steve Evans hasn't given up hope of a last minute play off push.

Whilst I think there's more chance of Satan going to work in a snow plough, stranger things have happened at sea.

We might give Wednesday a wave as we go past on our way up...
 
Big Cat said:
I've always been predominantly conscious of the impact of the restrictions. That said, if I was in Government, I'd have followed a similar suppression strategy because it's unthinkable for any Minister to sign an immediate mass death warrant. It's a concern that Democracies are intrinsically driven by votes and point scoring. Whitehall have been insulting to anyone with average intelligence and above. Relentless soundbites, daily disingenuous Party Political Broadcasts (press conferences) and a paralysis when it comes to replying to any question with an answer. I don't think any Government has much control overall. Each country's policy will be closely watched by every other nation, copying success and learning from other's mistakes. The UK are already easing out of restrictions because others have started the process. For us, the Bundesliga will likely be our guinea pig

The lockdown has served to act as a boot-camp for what lies ahead
Click to expand...
Putting any kind of restriction in place over the population of a country such as this which has delusions of grandeur and superiority complex
will always fail. And when it fails, you get the outcome we have now. Pressure to lift restrictions on schools, who can't enforce social distancing, pressure to re-open businesses, who can't enforce social distancing and pressure to allow unlimited re-infection pushing forward the herd immunity theory.
 
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