Coronavirus fallout: Football 'counts for zero' when lives are at stake

Declan Devine has recently paid tribute to the invaluable support from Derry City’s generous sponsors, particularly former chairman, Paul Diamond’s packaging company, ‘Diamond Corrugated’ which acts as the Brandywell club’s primary sponsor.

Of course the financial investment from chairman, Philip O’Doherty, the club’s biggest benefactor, has so often in recent years kept the club afloat and thankfully these local businessmen have the best intentions for their hometown club and will empty their pockets to see its prosper.

However, this worldwide crisis which is expected to escalate at a ferocious rate in the coming weeks and months threatens to throw up huge financial challenges to cash-strapped League of Ireland clubs as they lose out on gate receipts - their main source of income - and merchandising while the shut-down of their match-day hospitality and commercial operations also adds to the cash-flow problems.

As much of the population prepares for lockdown and social distancing, if they haven’t done so already, representatives from football clubs across Europe will hold discussions with UEFA via video-calls today in a bid to find some sort of resolution to the current predicament.

Football Leagues in England are bracing themselves for delays up until September which leaves the future of clubs both on and off the pitch in limbo.

Despite the suspension in play, player and staff wages must be honoured on a monthly basis and with the help of UEFA and central government, let’s hope there can be a resolution which appeases everyone. It has emerged the FAI could drop League of Ireland affiliation fees to help alleviate the financial burden, which would be an admirable move from the association to protect its clubs.

These are extraordinary circumstances but clubs’ reliance on gate receipts leaves many in a vulnerable position and the uncertainty surrounding this worldwide predicament just adds to the current levels of anxiety and confusion.

I’m sure, like the rest of society, clubs are taking it day by day. Derry City will be patiently awaiting UEFA’s decision on the current European club competitions today. It’s unclear whether the 2019/20 Europa League campaign will resume which will obviously impact next season’s competition.

UEFA may opt to subsidise those clubs who have budgeted around the qualification prizemoney promised should the shutdown continue into the summer and Derry need that finance to help balance the books.

There are big decisions to be made over the course of the coming days and we await with bated breath to see how it will affect the domestic game both north and south.

Bill Shankly infamously stated: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.”

However, in this situation, fans must keep things in perspective. “Football counts for zero right now,” said Everton manager, Carlo Ancelloti. “The priority is to concentrate on this fight, the rest doesn’t matter.”

Football, of course, is of little consequence when looking at the bigger picture. Of course no one wants people to lose wages or even jobs which can have major implications in itself but the decision to suspend all European leagues was undeniably the correct decision, albeit the Premiership needed Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta and Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi to test positive for the coronavirus to ultimately force their hand.

This disease has ground Europe to a halt, shutting down entire countries, closing borders while airports have become no fly zones. The United States of America has declared a national state of emergency while China, Italy, Spain and France have imposed national lockdowns. Ireland is closing down schools, pubs, restaurants and many businesses as it prepares for the worst.

Lives are at stake here and it’s not until it arrives on your own doorstep that you really understand the severity of the situation.

My own son was experiencing ‘flu like symptoms for several days and after reluctantly phoning out of hours when his temperature spiked, then the NHS 111 coronavirus helpline, the advice was to ring the ambulance service. It’s a scary situation, particularly given all the information and misinformation we’re digesting daily on news channels and social media.

And when the paramedic arrives at your door suited in full protective gear like a scene out of E.T., it really hits home that our daily lives are going to alter significantly until this pandemic peters out over the course of time. Given the costs involved, only severe cases or those most vulnerable to the disease are currently receiving tests so it was just a case of having to prepare for a period of self-quarantine which I’ve no doubt the whole country can expect to find themselves in due course if they haven’t already taken measures to limit the spread of the virus.

Without a diagnosis, thankfully my son’s condition appears to be improving and there’s little sign of the coronavirus having spread to the rest of the house but it’s been a reality check for my own family as we’ve seen and heard from the ‘front line’ at Altnagelvin Hospital’s coronavirus ‘pods’, how deep this problem runs in our own community at present.

We’ve got to think of the elderly and the vulnerable at this time. As Denis Naughton, Minister for Environment of Ireland said recently: “In today’s globalised world we must live in each other’s shelter, not shadow,” and the same can be applied to the football community.

We can expect long term disruptions to our daily lives and without football or other sports on the television for the foreseeable future, it’s going to be difficult to keep occupied.

On the football front, let’s hope the decision makers find a way to get the League of Ireland safely back up and running as soon as possible but while English Premier League clubs can afford to play games behind closed doors, local clubs simply can’t.

Government guidelines suggest that the coronavirus will not peak until roughly mid-June but there should still be ample time to complete the current season should the FAI opt to scrap the mid-season break and extend it beyond October.