What if the Premier League resumed its rights in early May? As fanciful as ambitious in view of the health situation, this hypothetical resumption of the most popular championship on the planet could however be detailed at the end of the week according to information from the Daily Mail .
When the Independent unveiled a much more exciting action plan to resume the English championship later in a so-called "world cup" format where teams would meet in a restricted geographical area to play matches every three days, the Daily Mail reports Monday evening that another solution seems to hold the rope. According to this scenario, the Premier League would resume its rights the first weekend of May!
Diffusers put pressure
Difficult to envisage in view of the urgency of the health situation when the United Kingdom passed Sunday evening the milestone of 1,000 deaths related to the Coronavirus pandemic, this scenario could well see the light of day under pressure from broadcasters. In question, the sacrosanct TV rights whose windfall represents nearly 3 billion pounds per season (3.38 billion euros). According to the British daily, the contracts signed with the championship broadcasters (BT Sports and Sky Sports) stipulate that the season must end no later than July 16. If this "deadline" were not respected, these same chains could then refuse to pay the last part of these rights to the clubs of the elite, that is to say a total estimated at 762 million pounds (857 million euros). In addition, the broadcasters would ask for clarification of the situation as soon as possible in order to envisage the continuation of the operations at a time when subscribers terminate en masse their fabulous subscriptions.
REVEALED: Premier League plan to resume season behind closed doors at the start of MAY in order to finish by July 12 to avoid TV contract rebates of up to £ 762m https://t.co/5szMMuYSaE
- MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) March 30, 2020In camera matches
In this sense, the twenty clubs of the championship will meet Friday in videoconference, social distancing obliges, to discuss the modalities of an anticipated resumption. While the championship is officially suspended until April 30, a return to the meadow is therefore potentially possible.
Certain changes would then be made to the regulations. For example, to cope with possible absences linked to the epidemic, teams could register 29 players instead of 25 currently. A season at the end of which no promotion or relegation is also on the table, but the clubs of the lower echelon would have already made their arrangements to counter-sue in court such a decision tells us the Daily Mail . Regarding the game, the matches would obviously be played behind closed doors as long as the health situation does not evolve towards a return to normal. On site, small technical teams would ensure minimal media coverage with comments recorded in the studio from London. Finally, a medical team would indeed be present at the edge of the field, anyway.
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Newcastle goes into partial unemployment
However, such an event remains subject to government approval, another twist. At a time when the forecasts of the health services are resolutely pessimistic across the Channel, the affair seems to be on the wrong track. If the question of money is obviously paramount for football clubs around the world, there is no doubt that the health of players is much more important. In the same spirit, it is possible that the players themselves refuse to return to the field, anxious not to take any reckless risk.
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In the midst of these uncertainties, Newcastle is far from anticipating a recovery in a month. Indeed, the management of the Magpies has taken measures hitherto unprecedented in the championship by imposing partial unemployment to its employees as reported by the BBC on Tuesday. If this does not concern the players of the first team for the moment, this decision taken with a view to "preserving the future of the club", on the admission of director Lee Charnley, suggests that a recovery seems irrelevant in the short term. It also testifies to the financial impact of the health crisis which continues to threaten the world of sport and football. The wealthy Premier League is no exception.
Newcastle United have had to put non-playing staff on temporary leave because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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