Countries Affected By UEFA Postponed Because Of Coronavirus

September 05,2020
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Bruce Williams

Which Country Most Affected By UEFA Postponed Because Of Coronavirus

The Coronovirus epidemic affected European football. The paralysis of different soccer tournaments has generated an intense crisis. Many games were canceled or postponed, and the stadiums have been empty for weeks. Last April, UEFA suspended both the Champions League and the Europa League. The Euro 2020 final stage was also postponed for next year. This scenario is a harmful impact on the European soccer leagues. But, which European country is most affected by the suspension decreed by UEFA following the appearance of the Coronovirus?

The English Premier League Is Receiving A Major Impact

Some specialists have estimated the losses from the suspension of football activities at 40,000 million euros. According to the Spanish economist Gay de Liébana, this is not an exaggerated figure. Among the European leagues, the English Premier League is the one that receives most incomes. Television broadcasting, advertising, ticket sales, and online business are the EPL's primary income sources. Therefore, England is the most affected European country from an economic point of view. The estimated loss for English football round 1,280 million euros, according to Statista.

More than 60% of that total, some 800 million euros, come from lost transmission revenue. The losses from commercial sales not generated would amount to 300 million euros. Likewise, the loss by match-day incomes could reach up to 180 million euros. The latter includes concepts such as ticket sales and merchandising in stadiums. On the other hand, not being able to carry out player transfers could generate more than 3,000 million euros in losses. Many transfers will be renegotiated, delayed, or suspended. This is because some player's contracts finish when this season ends. Besides, there are still no precise completion dates for many European leagues.

Of the 10 European teams expecting higher player transfers this year, five are English clubs. These teams are Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham. Together, these five teams accumulate more than 1.5 billion euros in potential transfer income. Of these, only Manchester City has 412 million euros worth of transferable players at risk. This was going to be a particular year for soccer in Europe. Besides enjoying the traditional UEFA Champions League, the Euro Cup would be played. Now, this will take place in 2021.

This decision has economic implications too, which affects, among others, the English football association. The Euro Cup moves 2,200 million euros. Of these, 371 million are distributed among the 24 participating teams. Also, almost 800 million correspond to the federations that make up UEFA. This money serves to develop soccer in each country. Likewise, the postponement implies that the budget should increase by at least 300 million euros.

As has been said, English soccer has been the hardest hit economically by the soccer paralysis due to the Coronavirus spread. We hope that these losses can be compensated at least in the medium term and that the level of English football is maintained.