The pandemic that transforms football
We don't know what the coronavirus is going to transform football into, but the virus has managed to move the king of sports. And the whole deck because Tokyo and the IOC have already moved the Olympic machine to 2021.
There are many players in the football business. They are there in times of prosperity, even more so in times of crisis that come without warning. While Madrid and Barça were fighting over which team was worse, while VAR occupied the discussions and the radicals saw hidden hands from Monday to Friday, nothing made us think that they were going to take all that away from us at once. What's more, we didn't expect the response from planet football to be immediate. That has led to indecision and changes in approach as we go along. We'd never experienced anything like that before. There was no manual.
While Spain holds its breath and waits at home for the contagion to peak and the masks to reach healthworkers, football continues to be played in the offices. Those sinister places where the future of the business is simmering. The League, the RFEF and the players' union have not left their differences behind even in the midst of a global pandemic that is claiming thousands of lives. The media have not even managed to get their noise across to us. Let their fights go unnoticed. Let their minutes of glory be minutes of failure.
Javier Tebas couldn't stop the football industry he starts every year. His football manages 3% of the Spanish GDP. The politicians know that the parties calm the masses of voters when they cannot keep their promises. Almost always. Thousands of businesses live on those 90 minutes. Thebes wanted to end the competition playing behind closed doors because he knew that business is on TV, not in the stadiums. He bought coronavirus tests for First and Second Division teams. He wanted to isolate football from a society that already lives in isolation. The European Cup was tight, but it didn't stifle.
UEFA announced Euro 2021. He did it quickly. No fuss. Without a doubt. Leaving the IOC alone in its Olympic endeavour. And opened the door for the leagues to end without a hitch. In the summertime. Safe. With an audience. And with the desired finals intact. Now it's time to make decisions. Waiting for the health officials to give orders so we can get out on the street. To go back to school, to work, to the shops... and to football. It won't be easy. .
The League and the RFEF have long played the role of politicians. To shake up and criticize everything their opponents do mechanically. This automatic pilot led them to the ridiculous situation of agreeing to suspend football in Spain without a return date and then sending out some crazy announcements blaming themselves for trivialities. Political pressure, no doubt. The message had to be sent to people that this is going to take a long time. That football is not going to come back on April 5th or in the middle of May. It will come back when it is safe and everything works as it used to.
The clubs could live oblivious to all this. The players were at home, well equipped and following a work routine that would keep them fit until their return. Teleworking, the occasional video conference, Skype interviews and waiting. The magic word was ERTE, the usual temporary layoffs that now take effect. Companies close until further notice and can put their workers' contracts on hold to resume work later. They don't get fired, but they don't get paid either. Many First and Second Clubs have already announced that they are taking advantage of the measure. Barça has been the first of the big ones followed by Atletico Madrid. We already know about the economic problems of the Catalan team and Atleti has never hidden that they don't have plenty of money. The employees that cannot take advantage of the teleworking will suffer the measure.
Real Madrid is waiting. It has not stopped work on the Bernabeu, but has made the stadium available to the Community of Madrid for the use of its facilities. It is also known that there is money in the treasury. Perhaps even to pay the salaries for a couple of months and not to get involved in layoffs. Another thing is the salaries of the staff.
The Barça asks to reduce a 50% and the personnel 25%. I wish we could attend the union negotiation of the staff with Bartomeu. A scenario. If the players don't play, the clubs don't pay. They have the right to do so, but football moves in other economic directions. The Treasury and the historical wide scope with teams in debt provoked the famous salary limit and the plan of payments to the Treasury.
The pandemic has moved the first piece and the rest have fallen behind. Football has been destabilized. Those who thought their business was untouchable suffer when they don't make the front page of the sports press. The usual solidarity of the teams becomes greater in these situations. The sport that governs the world speaks of layoffs, of ERTE, of reduction of salaries, it loses minutes of screen... An inevitable cure for humility.
