The coronavirus pandemic could cost Europe's 20 highest earning football clubs more than £1.75 billion ($2.4bn), according to forecasts from financial experts Deloitte. Deloitte's latest Football Money League report shows that revenues of the 20 clubs analysed have dropped dramatically due to closed stadiums and television rebates. Some of that revenue will be recouped in the accounts for the 2020/21 season. The financial year at most clubs ends on June 30, meaning some prize money and broadcast income for domestic leagues and European competitions that completed beyond that date is not included in last season's figures. "We usually release our money league and talk about the growth in revenue but of course football is not immune to the Covid-19 pandemic," said Tim Bridge of Deloitte's Sports Business Group told the BBC. "The revenue that's been missed out on is driven by the lack of fans in the stadium, the lack of interaction on a matchday – fans spending in the club shop and buying food and drink – and there is an element that relates to revenue that broadcasters have either clawed back or deferred to next year." Dan Jones Bridge's colleague at Deloitte, called the current situation "one of the most testing times the football industry has ever had to endure" and said getting fans back into stadiums will be one of the football's "highest priorities". "Fans' absence will be more fully reflected in next year's Money League. The final size of the financial impact of the pandemic on football will depend, in no small part, on the timing and scale of fans' return. "[But] we are confident in the resilience of the industry and expect it to bounce back strongly in future years." In the gallery above, we take a look at the top 20 most revenues by clubs in 2019/20, with the previous season in brackets. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.
