Brighton post losses of £67m as Covid-19 hits soccer revenues

Uefa says this summer’s European Championship will still be held across 12 cities, despite concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Euro 2020 will be held in London, Glasgow, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, St Petersburg, Bilbao, Munich, Budapest, Baku, Rome and Bucharest.

A decision on whether fans will be permitted has been delayed until April.

The competition is due to begin in Rome on 11 June, with the final at Wembley on 11 July.

It was postponed in March last year when the pandemic first emerged.

There had been speculation that this year’s finals could be staged in one country to reduce travel if restrictions still apply.

Following a meeting of host associations on Wednesday, Uefa said that “all parties recognise the need for flexibility around decisions to be made on the arrangements for the tournament”.

Host associations had been asked to submit plans to accept fans in a number of different scenarios by 5 March but the European governing body confirmed that “the deadline for the submission of plans to accommodate fans inside the stadiums has been moved to early April”.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: “I am optimistic that things are highly likely to be very different with regard to the virus as we move closer to the tournament.

“It is important that we give the host cities and governments as much time as we can to formulate an accurate picture of what will be possible come June and July.

“Fans are such a big part of what makes football special. We must allow ourselves the maximum space to allow their return to the stadiums.” Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion recorded losses of £67.2 million ($92.27 million) for the 2019-20 season after their finances took a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Premier League club said.

Turnover fell to £132,9 million from £148,2 million in 2018-19, while losses more than tripled from £21,2 million in the previous campaign.

“There was a shortfall in commercial revenues, catering and merchandise income, plus a number of additional and unexpected costs during the lockdown and return-to-play periods,” Brighton said in a statement.

Chairman Tony Bloom said the season was one of the most challenging in the club’s history.

“We have worked very hard to minimise the impact of Covid. Naturally, we have been cautious and careful, but we’ve had to be inventive too,” he said.

“ . . . Our main priority for the 2020-21 season is to remain in the Premier League. We will also be looking to make progress on our longer-term aim of establishing the club in the top 10 of the Premier League.”

Brighton, who are 17th, hosted Fulham late yesterday.