It is one of the biggest shows in the world, a sport that has become one of the most profitable businesses in the world, with billions moving between the leagues every year, the most cutting-edge teams, paying themselves authentic madness for the most expensive signings, filling stadiums every weekend in every corner of the planet and making the main competitions seen in all countries with a spectacular following . Soccer is the king of sports, and although it is true that in the United States there are other disciplines ahead, such as basketball or American football, in the rest of the planet they are all tremendously football fans and have promoted this practice at the top of today’s sports Olympus. It is a sport that has a millionaire following around the world.
This, however, has been one of the biggest problems when dealing with the current health emergency situation that has occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since February, when the virus already threatened the whole of Europe, many questioned sports competitions, especially as mass agglomerations where millions of people congregated every weekend, a perfect place for expansion natural virus. When the state of alarm was decreed, the competitions ceased, but to the surprise of many, football was one of the first sports to return to activity, when the situation has calmed down a little more, although yes, in a desolate atmosphere of empty stadiums that really amaze fans of the beautiful game.
The effects of COVID on football
When the presence of the coronavirus in Europe was detected, the main experts began to put the magnifying glass on mass events such as concentrations, concerts or sports competitions, those events in which thousands of people gathered each weekend. week, and that could pose a more than obvious danger to the spread of the dreaded virus. Soccer matches, which filled stadiums with capacity for more than 40,000 people in many cases, were at the point of watch from the get-go. In fact, many were suspended already in the week before the state of alarm. And is that playing with the public was a real madness with the virus swarming . The competitions, at all levels, came to a complete stop. Things got even more complex when cases of infected players and coaches began to appear.
For a couple of months everything stopped completely , but the different leagues, knowing the importance of competitions and above all, thinking about the money that they were letting go, looking for the formula to return to have football as soon as possible. Thus, since May they have been playing in empty states, with tests and tests on the footballers every two by three to avoid new positives. Competitions such as the Premier, the League or the Champions are ending in completely empty states. The European Championship, scheduled for this summer, has been postponed until next year , just like the Tokyo Olympics. However, as we are seeing in recent weeks, football seems not to want to stop for anything or anyone, and the new season is already in sight, without an audience in the stadiums but at least with matches being played and broadcasting on television.
Matches with empty stadiums
The main danger in holding these mass events is obviously the public. It is literally impossible to control more than 40,000 people in several cities at once to attend such an event every weekend, without helping to spread the coronavirus. There is much greater control over the professionals themselves, who pass tests on a regular basis, to avoid unwanted infections. That is why competitions have returned, thanks to the efforts of federations and leagues, who continue to see televised football as a good way to earn money, and do not want to miss that opportunity, although that means leaving the fans without going to the stadium , a really bizarre situation that even the players themselves have criticized, although at the moment, little can be done to solve it.
Players affected by the virus
Since the onset of the pandemic , not a few players have been affected by this virus. With hundreds of thousands of infected throughout Europe, it is logical that by own statistics, many players have ended up being infected. From the first cases in Italy with stars of the stature of Dyabala, Pezzela or Maldini , to the most recent in Spain, with several players from Fuenlabrada , second-class team, who traveled infected with their squad to play against Deportivo, causing a situation of extreme gravity and suspending the game when those positives were discovered. Gudelj, from Sevilla, Feddal, Betis, Garay, Valencia or Mariano from Real Madrid have also suffered from the coronavirus, although all of them without further problems to heal. Even Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has also suffered from this disease.
The soccer economy after COVID-19
From the moment all competitions stopped , both the teams and the federations and leagues that organize them have been very concerned about the economic issue. As we said before, soccer moves many millions all over the world, both in ticket sales, T-shirts, television broadcasts … That is why we tried to find a solution that was as painless as possible for both fans and the pocket. Choosing to play behind closed doors goes against all the basic values of sport, where the fan must always be the center of attention and the state becomes a temple. However, at least that is how the season has been saved a bit, and the future is faced in the same way, televising the games even with empty stadiums, so that this money is not lost.