Hard choices in the EFL: 'Football is a trillion-dollar industry. It can't die'

04 May 2020 07:00
In the first of a week-long series on how coronavirus will change football we talk to Peterborough’s owner Darragh MacAnthonyThe horsemen are circling and for Leagues One and Two the apocalypse is nigh. For Darragh MacAnthony, the owner of Peterborough, the day of reckoning will come in July or August, when payments deferred during football’s pause can be put off no longer. VAT and PAYE will have to be settled; suppliers and, for some clubs, players and members of staff will need their money.Everyone is trying to imagine how things will look and function when the Covid-19 pandemic eases and the predictions have been bleak, particularly for tiers three and four in England. The Championship, too, faces uncertain times. There is a grim acceptance in some quarters that clubs will go to the wall. Related: Football's return from enforced layoff brings totally new type of stress | Paul MacInnes Lower-league teams are paying wages to improve other people’s players Related: Premier League critics should recognise football cannot wait for ever | Jonathan Wilson Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian