Having expected revenue to exceed 1 billion euros this season for the first time, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu is now braced for more austere times.
“We will change models and the way we do things,” Bartomeu said. “We will have to adapt and be a pioneer.”
In Italy, where the season was halted three weeks ago, Juventus is making savings of 90 million euros after Cristiano Ronaldo and his Juventus teammates agreed to forgo four months worth of wages along with coach Maurizio Sarri.
It is unlikely teams like Juventus will be asking FIFA for cash — but the governing body expects a “considerable number” to face “extremely difficult economic conditions.” FIFA has to work out who is most in need of its cash and how football entities can quickly receive it.
“The football community around the world is experiencing, to a greater or lesser extent, serious financial problems on account of the coronavirus outbreak,” FIFA said. “This threatens to disrupt and impair the ability of FIFA’s member associations and other football organizations such as leagues and clubs to develop, finance and run football activities at all levels of the game, including professional, non-professional, youth and grassroots.”