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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
A NUMBER of Zimbabwean footballers in the lower leagues of English football could find themselves in trouble with their clubs either failing to pay them or going bust, amid concerns the game’s structure could collapse.
The British government’s decision to keep fans away from the stadia across England, as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, is threatening the survival, and future, of a number of football clubs outside the Premiership.
Many of them are now on the brink and have warned their very survival is at risk as they battle to finance their activities in an era where their revenue streams, including match day receipts, have been cut off from the system which has kept them afloat for about a century.
There are a number of Zimbabwean footballers plying their trade in those leagues.
Tendayi Darikwa is contracted at Championship side Nottingham Forest, the highly-rated Jordan “JZ’’ Zemura has broken into the Bournemouth ranks, in the same league, while midfielder Andy Rinomhota is also in the same league at Reading.
Tivonge Rushesha is at another Championship side, Swansea, where he won the club’s Under-23 Player of the Season award, while Macauley Bonne just dropped into League One with Charlton Athletic.
Adam Chickson is at National League side, Notts County, after joining them at the start of the season.
Notts County are the oldest professional football club in the world, having been formed in 1862, and now play in the fifth tier of English league football.
Shaun Sithole is at Fleetwood Town.
All these players could be affected, in one way or the other, with the clubs outside the English Premiership sending an SOS yesterday to the country’s authorities to consider their plight.
An ominous letter written by a number of influential figures in English football, which was forwarded to the international media, paints a grim picture of clubs which have been squeezed into a corner, without revenue streams from match day receipts, who now face the real possibility of administration.
The letter was written to Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary.
It was penned by a group of personalities, including the chairman of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Damian Collins, the co-owner of Sunderland FC, Charlie Methven, the former chairman of the Football Association, Lord David Triesman and the vice-president of the National League, Lord Faulkner of Worcester.
The others who added their names to the document are Lord Goddard of Stockport, the chairman of the Football Supporters Association, Malcolm Clarke, former football star, Robbie Savage, who is now a prominent sports broadcaster, former FA chairman, Greg Dyke and the MP for Lincoln, Karl McCartney, who is the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Football Supporters.
Sir David Ames, the MP for Gillingham and Rainham, David Green, the MP for Ashford, who is a member of the DCMS Select Committee, Clive Betts, the MP for Sheffield South East and former chairman of the APPG for Football, Derek Twigg, the MP for Halton and Lilian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South.
“We wrote to you in May, this year, setting out the financial crisis facing football clubs and, particularly, those in the English Football League because of the loss of Match Day Revenue resulting from Government’s policies to combat Covid-19,’’ the group said in their letter.
“We also detailed a game plan that could be put in place to prevent this.
“Since then, clubs have been able to sustain themselves through advance season ticket sales, solidarity payments from the Premier League and had agreed to start playing the new season in the belief that fans would be allowed to return to stadiums this autumn.
“It’s now clear that the spectators will not be back in the EFL grounds, even in limited numbers, for the foreseeable future.
“As a consequence, clubs will not only lose this budget for income but will also have to refund season tickets to fans who will now be prevented from attending matches.
“There has been no agreement reached by the football authorities on a bailout for clubs that need it, many of whom were already heavily indebted before the coronavirus arrived.’’
The group said the prospects for the future were too grim to imagine.
“Without any plans being made to rescue football clubs, many in the EFL and others in the National League as well, are now actively preparing to make all but essential staff redundant, cease playing, close down their youth academies and community foundations and put their business into administration.
“This could lead not only to the failure of many historic community clubs but to the collapse of the National League structure that we have known for over one hundred years.
“These are decisions that will be made in the coming weeks, with many clubs unable to meet their payroll obligations, for next month.
“There is still time to act, but not long left.
“The government made £1.5 billion available to rescue arts and cultural organisations across the country that faced closure because of the coronavirus.
“We believe that football, like other well-loved professional sports in this country, is also a cultural activity.
“We would ask that the government now make clear what financial support it is prepared to give before it’s too late.
“In particular, we believe that, in order for clubs to sustain themselves over the winter and keep playing, they would need to be compensated for the loss of match ticket sales.
“The absence of this income is not a result of their actions but the policies that have been put in place by the government’s response to a public health emergency.’’
The group said while the Premiership clubs could provide additional funding, to the lower leagues, it wasn’t the top-flight league’s responsibility to provide a bailout.
“The government, itself, needs to take responsibility or many already-embattled towns — often in areas of the country which have suffered many hardships in recent decades — will lose their last focal point.’’
Online Reporter