Coronavirus has imposed a huge and unexpected braking to the whole world, and football has not been an exception. European leagues have not had any games for more than a month and still do not know if they will be able to finish the current season.
In Spain teams are waiting for the Ministry of Health to allow them to carry out Covid-19 tests to every footballer and staff member from the 42 professional clubs including the 1st and 2nd division before going back to training, which will follow three gradual phases until matches are played again.
First phase scenario will provide clubs with zero benefits from tickets, stores, museum tours, advertising campaigns or any other economical source apart from television rights. The President of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, has already warned this last week that biggest clubs will be the ones to struggle the most at first since television rights make up to approximately 30% of their total revenue, and they will not be able to count on fans income until people are back to the stadiums and the previous normality becomes a reality.
Maybe this crisis makes clubs to not offer such huge quantities on the transfer market for almost any player. Maybe it is time to stop and reconsider the direction that the football industry was taking. Maybe academies return to be the place from where to create talent and form your own players to reach the first team in the future instead of looking to sign players from the outside constantly.
Forming at home was always cheaper and more efficient. Maybe now the virus forces football to go back to ¨the old times¨. Maybe football gives academies back the importance they deserve.
