Soccer: Manchester United Counts Cost of Coronavirus Disruption

(Reuters) – Manchester United said his priority was to allow fans to return to his Old Trafford stadium safely after the impact of the coronavirus crisis led to an annual net loss of 23.2 million pounds ($ 30.3 million). ).

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the sports calendar, forcing English Premier League matches to be suspended for three months, and fans are still unable to attend matches.

Revenue lost due to restrictions amounted to £ 70 million in the year to the end of June, the club said, adding that it would recoup £ 30 million in streaming revenue for the 2019-20 matches that had been played in July alone. and August.

The latest COVID-19 restrictions in Britain are likely to further delay the return of fans, depriving clubs of revenue from ticket sales and match day catering.

Executive Vice President Ed Woodward called for a consistent approach from authorities on admitting fans, noting that people can travel on airplanes or sit in theaters.

“Crowds have been allowed to return to varying degrees in more than 20 European countries, albeit with significant capacity restrictions to allow for social distancing, and we urge the UK government to follow these positive examples as soon as it is safe to do so.” Woodward said.

Woodward also dismissed reports that the club was part of a plot to form a separatist European Super League, saying the focus is on talks with UEFA about the future of the Champions League.

CHEVROLET EXTENSION

United’s revenue for the year fell 19% to 509 million pounds, the lowest level since 2015.

The club, controlled by the American Glazer family since a highly leveraged acquisition in 2005, extended its contract with the Chevrolet jersey sponsor, which was due to expire in June 2021, for six months due to disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Woodward defended the recruitment of United players, comparing it to rivals such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich and PSG, who said they had taken a cautious approach.

The 20-time English champions signed players such as Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek and Paris St Germain (PSG) forward Edinson Cavani on a free transfer, during the transfer period.

United marked their return to the European Champions League with a win against last year’s finalist PSG on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong and Chris Peters in Bengaluru, edited by Louise Heavens / Keith Weir)