LONDON (REUTERS) - Up to 60 English lower league football clubs could go out of business if the sport fails to plan for the impact of Covid-19 beyond the current season, Huddersfield Town owner Phil Hodgkinson said on Sunday (May 24). Championship (second tier) clubs are due to return to training in small groups on Monday, with hopes of completing the season behind closed doors. "The problem is not whether we finish (the) season or not, it is what happens after that," Hodgkinson told the BBC. "There are clubs I know of that are only still trading because they are deferring wages and (tax) and other creditors. "There is an absolutely real, stark probability that if something isn't agreed now within football to ensure all clubs can pay their bills and get through to the point where income is resumed, you will be looking at 50 or 60 clubs ceasing to exist," said Hodgkinson.

Source: BBC May 24, 2020 22:41 UTC