- Figure ‘covers the football economy in its entirety’
- European clubs have lost most but Latin America badly affected
Football across the world lost $14.4bn (£11.1bn) during the coronavirus crisis, analysis conducted by Fifa suggests. The governing body of the global game has revealed that 150 of its 211 member associations have applied for emergency Covid grants, with one executive describing the situation as “impossible” for Fifa to mitigate alone.
The effect of the pandemic is estimated to have wiped $14.4bn from club and international football, even with restarts taken into account. “It’s a huge number and it covers the football economy in its entirety,” said Olli Rehn, the chairman of the Fifa Covid-19 relief plan steering committee. “It cannot be an exact figure, but it is an estimate of losses in 211 member associations.”
