Football clubs in the top European divisions during the pandemic (seasons 2019/20 and 2020/21) lost €7 billion in revenue, according to a comparative report of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on club licensing, TASS reports.
The agency notes that the UEFA report was prepared after a detailed analysis of the financial figures received from more than 700 clubs, as well as the latest financial figures for 2021. According to the Guardian, the report used information from 724 clubs from 54 national associations belonging to UEFA.
Data for the previous year (season 2020/21) was provided by 95 clubs from 22 countries. From Russia, the documentation was provided by Zenit St. Petersburg, Spartak Moscow and Lokomotiv, as well as Rubin Kazan.
RPL ranked sixth in revenue among leagues in Europe Football The report says that forecasting models developed by the UEFA research center, together with the first financial reports for the 2020/21 season received by clubs, show that in general between the 2019/20 and 2020 seasons /21 clubs lost €7bn in revenue. However, according to the report, individual clubs and leagues managed to restructure, but total player revenues at top clubs fell by an average of 2% per year between seasons during the pandemic 2018/ 19 and 2020/21.
After a period of self-sufficiency, the coronavirus pandemic has caused losses for top-division clubs. The report says top-division net losses in fiscal 2021 are projected at €4bn (on top of a €3bn loss in 2020). The bulk of the lost revenue (€4.4bn) is due to a drop in stadium attendance, as many countries banned spectators from matches, while others had or still have restrictions due to the emergency sanitary and epidemiological situation.
UEFA director of financial sustainability and research Andrea Traverso said the report "clearly demonstrates" the need for change. “In fact, there are only two things that can protect football and prepare it for future upheavals,” the Guardian quoted him as saying.
UEFA President included in the rating of the most influential people in Europe Football According to him, firstly, it is worth paying more attention to long-term investments in infrastructure and youth development, and, secondly, "to restore the capital buffer." “The cash reserves built up over the past decade have been an important first line of defense against income shortfalls,” he explained.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, commenting on the data of the report, said that the coronavirus pandemic showed how much football affects life in Europe. “Football has been a real lifeline for many. I will not make bold predictions for the coming year, other than [can] say that whether the pandemic continues or disappears, European football will remain strong, stable and united in 2022,” he concluded.
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