Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
English Premier League (EPL) clubs will have to pay back £762 million in broadcast revenue if the 2019-20 season is not completed due to coronavirus.
According to the Athletic, the postponement of the league is understood to be costing broadcasters huge amounts of money per day as they cannot attract advertisers.
The amount was communicated to all 20 clubs at the emergency meeting on Thursday, when it was decided the season would continue on April 30.
The 20 first flight football clubs are said to be ready to fight any attempts from broadcasters to fine them should the season not be finished, leaving them in breach of their broadcast agreement.
The failure to see out the campaign could put the future of some clubs in jeopardy and leave them unable to pay the players, pay staff or pay the bills, as most of these clubs who are not in a strong financial position rely on the broadcast rights.
As a result, many clubs are determined to play games behind closed doors to ensure they don’t lose out on the broadcast money.
However, some clubs have agreed to pay matchday staff for the rest of 2019-20 even if the remaining fixture are not completed.
According to the executive vice chairman at Manchester United, the club has pledged £1 million to cover staff costs.
“We understand that these are unprecedented circumstances plus want to give security,” he said.
Premier League leaders Liverpool also announced they will continue to pay casual workers during the current suspension while Brighton & Hove Albion are another club committed to paying staff for the rest of the season.
All Premier League clubs have nine games left to play in the 2019-20 season, except for Manchester City, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Aston Villa, who have 10 following the rescheduling of matches to accommodate the Manchester City vs Aston Villa Carabao Cup final match.
