Zug, Switzerland – Infront Senior Vice President of Football Stephan Herth spoke with Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) last week about the impact COVID-19 could have on the football industry. Here is what he had to say.
"There will be clubs that have existential problems. It all depends on how solidly they have managed their business up until now and how much equity they have built. How much do they have in reserve? If club management has not planned enough for the future, things will get tight.
"Smaller leagues like the Super League in Switzerland are hit particularly hard by the crisis, even with sound management. They will now have to do a very good job of avoiding financial imbalance. Some will fall into trouble."
"The gap between rich and poor clubs will widen even further due to this crisis. One of the reasons for this is that smaller teams will soon be forced to make emergency sales of players in order to avoid financial difficulties. They have no choice but to stay on budget."
"It can be expected that the transfer amounts will decrease significantly. Salaries will also come under pressure. That does not apply to the absolute top stars. There will be no impact for them. The correction will mainly be observed one level below, in the middle range of established professionals."
"Football can emerge from the crisis stronger than before. Many will have learned a few important lessons, be better prepared for bad times and look at contracts more carefully. Correction is healthy for a system that has only grown for years."
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