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Premier League CEO Richard Masters says it is “absolutely critical” that fans are able to return to the stadiums as soon as possible.
He says failure to do so will cost clubs £ 700 million during the 2020-21 season, which begins on Saturday.
Soccer has been played behind closed doors since his return in June following the coronavirus lockdown.
As it stands, no fans will be admitted to top flight matches in England before at least October.
Speaking later on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced There will be a “review” of plans for fans to return to the stadiums. since October 1 in England, amid a growing number of positive Covid-19 cases.
Masters told BBC Sport that closed-door games “cannot last forever” as clubs have already lost more than £ 500 million since the interruption in the last quarter of last season.
“We have to get the fans back inside the stadiums as quickly as possible; that’s the most important thing missing, financially or otherwise. We need the fans to get back to the stadiums for all kinds of reasons and it’s the number one priority. one, “he said.
Masters also revealed that he was still hopeful that some fans could return to the grounds next month, despite the growing number of coronavirus cases in the UK and the new government restriction on gatherings of more than six people. which goes into effect on Monday.
He admitted that clubs “would have to adapt” because “there will be potholes in the road.”
“It does not reduce our ambitions, it just means that we will have to adapt, it is something that we have shown in recent months, we can adapt to the situation,” Masters said.
“We look forward to seeing what impact it has on the government’s testing program and the permits it will issue, and also on that crucial date of October 1. We look forward to seeing what the government decides and we will remain in dialogue with them at all times.
“We always knew that September was going to be a difficult month at the beginning of the return to normalcy that the government was talking about, so we should anticipate bumps in the road.”
Key goals of the Premier League
Masters said the Premier League has three main goals: the “big challenge” of ensuring 380 games finish on time this season, getting fans back to full stadium and returning the Premier League economy to full health. .
Premier League revenue was down 700 million pounds in the final quarter of last season.
“It’s not just about lost earnings from the day,” he said. “Each Premier League match generates on average around £ 20 million for the economy, both local and national, so we want to help the economy recover as well.”
“I think maybe there is a perception that the Premier League economy can support almost anything, but if you lose £ 700 million from a planned budget, it will affect things and the clubs have had to make very difficult decisions.
“That is why it is important that we focus on those three key objectives and obviously everyone hopes that from next season we can return to full normality, but it is a great challenge going forward.”
“The financial problems are very real, they are there, the economic uncertainty is in front of us, and we just have to have a clear plan and fulfill it.”
‘Confidence’ that the season can end if another wave arrives
The 2019-20 Premier League season was suspended in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and restarted on June 17, exactly 100 days later.
At last week’s Premier League meeting, there was a commitment to complete the next season in the event that a second wave of coronavirus hits England, although a final decision has yet to be made.
Players and staff will now be assessed once a week instead of twice.
“What we were able to create was a very safe environment, a very low prevalence of positive tests in a short 92-game campaign,” Masters said of the end of last season.
“It gives us confidence that this formula can continue to work.
“It can never be ruled out, we have to be cautious and everyone has to do their part.
“But it must build confidence that we can finish our season and finish it on time.”
‘Tough decision’ to terminate China’s streaming deal
In early September, the Premier League terminated its £ 564 million contract with its Chinese licensee effective immediately.
BBC Sport was told that the streaming service PPTV withheld its last payment of £ 160 million, which is due in March.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Masters said. “PPTV has been a very good partner for us.
“We had a contractual dispute with them that we couldn’t resolve, so we made the very difficult decision, the business decision, to go ahead and find a new way of doing things in China.”
China was the most lucrative overseas television rights territory in the English top flight, with a three-season deal agreed in 2019.
“We hope to resolve the issue as soon as we can,” added Masters. “I want to make the best decision rather than the quickest decision, we know there is a lot of demand to watch Premier League matches, clubs have millions of fans who want to watch their matches and so we hope to be able to offer something.” As soon as we can.
“There are all kinds of things to look out for, scope and value are two of them, but I think it’s really about choosing the right path to go in a very large market, a crucial market for the Premier League.”
‘Sympathy’ for Newcastle fans
Masters also spoke to BBC Sport about the collapse of the potential Newcastle United acquisition in June, saying he had “sympathy” for Magpies fans due to the lack of information they received.
A consortium backed by Saudi Arabia ended his £ 300 million offer buy the club from Mike Ashley in July, after the group rejected the Premier League arbitration offer to determine who would own the club.
The deal was still being scrutinized under the Premier League Owners and Directors test.
“I think there is a reasonable expectation of confidentiality from all parties involved, I think that’s what we were trying to respect,” Masters said.
“We have been as transparent as possible and have had, albeit brief, conversations with the Newcastle United Supporters Trust where I answered their questions and wrote a letter to local MPs explaining everything I could about the process and some of the issues they faced. that we face, so we hope we have been more transparent.
“Obviously what we cannot talk about is what could happen in the future.
“We are going to take another look at the owners and managers test and some of the issues and details of it.
“It’s time to take another look at it in light of recent events.”
