Dutch FA asks government for help after predicting €400m losses due to coronavirus pandemic
The Royal Dutch Football Association has asked the government for help during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2019/20 Eredivisie season was declared null and void on Friday after the Dutch government banned football until September.
Ajax were denied the league title despite being top of the table
It is set to have a huge financial impact on football in the Netherlands, with Dutch FA director Eric Gudde predicting losses of €400million (£349m).
Part of a letter sent to the government, Gudde said: “We are sounding the alarm about the consequences for our sector. We ask you to work with us to find creative, real and available solutions for professional football.
“Many of the costs concern revolving contracts, depreciation costs, rental and maintenance costs.
“These are not easy to limit within professional football. In order to absorb all this, help and cooperation with the government is therefore necessary to guarantee the survival of the sector.”
Give COVID-19 the red card
The quicker we work together to stop coronavirus spreading, the sooner we can get back into the pubs, the gyms and stadiums and arenas to see live sport again…
STAY AT HOME. Only leave for the following purposes:
- to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
- to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
- for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
- to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary
For more info and tips, visit the NHS website.
The government has also issued further detail on what we can do during lockdown.
Everyone should do what they can to stop coronavirus spreading.
The decision to void the current Eredivisie season means Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, who were level on points at the top of the table, will not be crowned champions.
Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech, whose £33m move to Chelsea will be made official on July 1, believes his side should be awarded the Eredivisie title.
Ziyech said: “What nonsense have I heard? We are at the top anyway. So the goal difference doesn’t count now?
Hakim Ziyech believes Ajax should be crowned Eredivisie champions
“How did PSV become champions in 2007? Exactly on one goal. If you have to choose one club as champion, that is Ajax to me.”
Meanwhile, Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar said: “As a player and as a club, you naturally want to become champion.
“You want to show it on the field and we have been at the top all year round.
“It is a pity, but in this situation, that may be understandable.”
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