The consequences of COVID-19 have led to a considerable crisis for football, with matches suspended or cancelled and major events like the UEFA Euro 2020 postponed.

For more than a year, the revenues of European clubs have been significantly affected by the absence of fans in stadiums and by smaller TV audiences. In France, the withdrawal of Media pro, which held the broadcasting rights for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, deprived the clubs of a significant share of their revenue.

The ‘big five’ leagues faced rights payment deferrals and grant rebates to broadcasters, with England’s Premier League recently agreeing to roll over its existing television deal after seeing its revenue fall – for the first time ever – to cause the largest pre-tax loss in its history. To cope with this, European clubs took on a massive amount of debt and their ability to repay this debt remains uncertain. More fundamentally, the value of football and its attractiveness are now the subject of debate in a context where stadiums have been empty for 15 months.

With COVID-19 infections decreasing globally and people getting vaccinated, Manchester United are set to implement mandatory COVID-19 checks for fans before they enter the Old Trafford Stadium from 1 October 2021, fans are expected to show full proof of vaccination. It is not compulsory for fans to go through the check-up process, but it is likely to be like that in future. Football lovers aged 18 and over are required to demonstrate that they are either double-jabbed or have had a negative lateral flow or PCR test within 2 days before of the game.