“They will go bankrupt”

The corona pandemic has hit sports hard, hockey is no exception.

This spring’s playoffs were canceled and no Swedish champions were named.

And when a new season of SHL begins, it is without an audience.

Something that TV4 and CMore pundit Niklas Wikegård thinks will feel to say the least for clubs.

– It is a difficult situation. I think this whole season is about surviving so that I can play hockey next season, 2021/2022, says Wikegård and at the same time traces a dark future already now.

– With the outfit the team now has, the clubs will go bankrupt one by one, bang, bang, bang. If there are no changes on the audience side, with these costs and this salary budget falling on the players, leaders and other staff, then not even all the clubs will survive Christmas.

– Then we have some that reach February-March. But then it was over.

“Capital will be devoured”

Niklas Wikegård believes that clubs need drastic measures to avoid bankruptcy and that this is something that will soon become a reality.

– Reductions in player contracts and contracts in general, that reasoning will come quite quickly. A lot of that will be covered in the near future, if there are no changes in terms of audience.

– The clubs are big nowadays, they have a turnover of hundreds of millions of crowns. They get money from television contracts, sponsorship money and a little for sofa tickets, but the big income is missing, that of the audience. And then it’s empty. Equity will be eaten.

“They make it more difficult”

Wikegård also believes that some clubs will be hit harder than others.

– Clubs that normally have the advantage of owning their stadiums now have heavy extra expenses.

– Where we are now, I think we will see what associations are good to adapt and find other sources of income. Maybe some kind of interactivity with his fans who pay a penny every month. I have no idea how to fix it. But I think we’ll see who can handle this and who can’t.

Wikegård’s verdict: “They win the Swedish Championship gold”