Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says lower league clubs have been “taken out at the knees” by the coronavirus pandemic, having seen income streams dry up as the possibility of empty stands until 2021 looms large. Oldham didn’t pay their March wages until, I think, two days ago, so there’s a backlog in terms of wages being paid. “How clubs can address that is beyond me if there is no money coming in through the turnstiles, which accounts for around 40 to 50 per cent of total income for some League One and League Two clubs. And then the third form of income for clubs is sponsors – well, you can’t sponsor a football match which isn’t taking place. “The game was living at the edge before the pandemic,” Maguire, the author of ‘The Price of Football’, said.

Source: Express May 03, 2020 16:52 UTC