The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on sports teams around the globe. Leagues and tournaments have been cancelled or postponed, no one is playing, fans aren’t packing out arenas, and teams are losing millions in revenue every single week. 

Many teams can survive the financial shortfall, but many more can’t. Losing money isn’t the only thing teams are, or could suffer from. Postponing, or possibly cancelling leagues can have a serious effect on many teams, and you can bet that many teams in promotion spots will be worrying about the future of the season. 

As mentioned above, the bigger teams such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus, Manchester City, PSG and many others in top flight leagues will be able to see out this postponement and still be able to financially support the club, players, and all staff. 

Many of the lower league teams, across the globe, will feel this postponement the most. Many teams rely heavily on the income generated from thousands of supporters attending games each week, buying food and drink, and purchasing merchandise. 

These smaller clubs don’t have the same global reach as their much larger counterparts, and therefore don’t have solid streams of income. They need supporters in seats each week just to get through the season, and the off season. 

One of the biggest questions that needs to be answered is the one on whether or not domestic leagues will continue or be made null and void. This decision has a massive impact on many teams due to its ramifications. 

What would a void season look like? Everything stays the same and is restarted next season? The league is ended with the table as it is and champions are crowned, teams promoted and teams relegated? 

The biggest concern is not if the teams at the top of the league will be crowned champions, it is whether or not teams finishing at the top of their leagues will gain promotion. Promotion is a massive deal for many teams and usually means more than winning the trophy. 

Promotion ensures bigger crowds, more TV time and more broadcasting money, being able to travel to and play against the biggest teams in their country. Promotion generates millions for teams and is needed for long term success. 

Take the Premier League and Championship for example. Leeds United, West Brom and Fulham are all battling to gain promotion to the Premier League, they have all played incredibly well and making it back into the Premier League will be a huge boost for them. 

Voiding the season would take this opportunity away from them, and away from every other team that is in a promotion position across all leagues across the globe. It would be a major slap in the face, and right now, there is a strong possibility of it happening. 

There isn’t one team that is suffering more than another, since every team that isn’t in their top domestic division is far more reliant on broadcasting rights and supporters buying tickets compared to the much bigger teams. 

Teams will be hoping that they can go back to playing as soon as possible, with many probably being ok with playing behind closed doors, as they will at least still have their games broadcast. 

This adds another problem as the lower leagues don’t even have their games broadcast, and rely completely on supporters buying tickets every weekend. There is no way yet on if governments, or even other, much larger teams will help these smaller teams through this very difficult time. 

Finishing the season when it is safe to do so seems like the most obvious decision. There are too many teams that are in positions to benefit greatly from how they have played this season and taking that away can’t be the right way to go. 

On one hand, it would be incredibly tricky to fit the rest of the season in, and when would next season even start then? But there is a lot on the line for many clubs, and a lot can suffer greatly if there isn’t any football played over the next few months. 

There are also multiple players, managers and owners who are in self-isolation after being diagnosed with the virus. Even though football players are some of the fittest athletes in the world, it is impossible to say how much or how little being infected will affect their health. 

The best thing that can happen is if some sort of plan is made to allow teams to start playing again as soon as possible, whether that is in front of crowds or behind closed doors. At this point, many clubs probably won’t care too much.

It is essential to finish the season somehow, either ending it with the tables as they are now, and promoting and relegating teams. Finishing the season now and starting next season the same way this one finished would be a gross injustice. 

It is also essential for all lower league teams to know if they will be receiving financial help during this time, as a complete cancellation could see many teams finding it impossible to keep their club running.