[ad_1]
What did the Federal Council decide for professional sport?
On Wednesday afternoon in Bern, at 4.15 pm, Federal President Simonetta Sommaruga and Federal Councilors Alain Berset and Guy Parmelin will appear before media representatives and masked cameras and announce the latest Corona measures. As expected, professional football and ice hockey clubs are also hit hard.
The government is taking action: from midnight only events with up to 50 people are allowed, which is equivalent to ghost games. The first to suffer is the challenge at the top of the Challenge League between Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy and GC.
How long do the measures apply?
It depends on how the number of new corona infections develops. There were 8,616 new cases yesterday. The 7-day average is 5994 cases. This is 88% more than the previous week. There are no clear guidelines on the values that spectators can return to in stadiums, as the clubs had hoped for. Health Minister Berset says the measures are indefinite, but they don’t mean they will last long. They would last as long as necessary.
Will patchwork continue to exist?
Since last week, the cantons have also ensured different conditions for sporting events. In the west and with the canton of Bern, a maximum of 1,000 fans or none was allowed, while in the east of the country the capacity of two thirds was still valid. FC St. Gallen could have played in front of 11,500 or ZSC Lions in front of 7662 fans, while YB or SCB had to get along with no spectators. “The cantons can go further. The measures already taken by the cantons are still valid, ”says Berset. But with a difference of 50 visitors to the match, there is now virtually equal opportunity, at least as far as the audience is concerned.
What are the economic consequences?
“In the medium term, clubs are absolutely dependent on being able to play in front of the public again. A prolonged ban on major events poses an existential threat to clubs, ”writes the Swiss Football League. It sounds the same with the hockey league: “huge additional economic challenges” must be faced, “as the important (survival) income from the ticketing and catering areas is completely eliminated. With a longer phase with ghost games, the clubs would be seriously threatened by their existence. “
When he extrapolated, SCB boss Marc Lüthi last saw a loss of 15 million francs for his club in ghost games. When the capacity was reduced to 6750 seats, the Bernese estimated, thanks to the wage cuts, a minus 4.5 million, which would once have been manageable.
Are the clubs going broke now?
Clubs should be able to survive in the short term, for example because subscribers and sponsors have already paid, but this money will not be available later if it is to be repaid or compensated for next season. Furthermore, as soon as the Federal Council has drafted the ordinance, interest-free crown loans from the federal government will soon be available, approved by the councils in the autumn session. It should be like this in December. These can amount to up to a quarter of a club’s operating expenses for the 2018/2019 season. But that only postpones the problem. That is why both the football and ice hockey leagues insist on A-Fonds-perdu’s contributions to absorb unintentional losses. “The issue of granting part-time work for professional athletes also needs to be examined,” said Ancillo Canepa, president of the FCZ.
Will the game continue?
In football you learned to live with ghost games when you resumed last season. In ice hockey, however, the playoffs were canceled in the spring when spectators were no longer allowed. “Despite the restrictions, the league and its clubs are doing everything in their power to maintain the leagues,” says the SFL. In the Netherlands, too, the overwhelming majority of clubs were in favor of continuing the season before the Federal Council decision. It would take a three-fourths majority for a break. After the decision of the government and the virtual round table with the Minister of Sport Viola Amherd and representatives of sport, the discussion began last night via video call on how to proceed.
In addition to spectator restrictions, there is the problem that recently positive cases among players have increased and entire teams (yesterday the SCRJ Lakers) have been quarantined, which has led to postponements. The SFL now writes that it is urgently needed “that if there are positive test results in a club and if the concept of protection is consistently adhered to, not the entire team is quarantined, but rather the affected people must go into isolation” .
What happens to the protection concepts?
The clubs and leagues are very frustrated. Were all efforts and expenses in vain? For example, the SCB claims to have spent half a million on its protection concept. And Berset took a look at the kybunpark two weeks ago and praised the one in St. Gallen. But for the time being, the concepts will be placed in the drawers with the hope of being able to extract them again as soon as possible.
What do leagues and clubs say?
“We survived the first wave and will do everything we can to ensure that FC St. Gallen 1879 can pass this test too. Our belief that solidarity is not a one-way street will not change, ”FCSG president Matthias Hüppi said on the club’s website. «Thanks to our unique solidarity in the club, but also with shareholders, fans, sponsors and patrons, we are continuing on the path we have chosen. Always aware that the development of the pandemic will affect society as a whole and in the hope that the measures taken will not fail to have an effect “.
FCZ boss Canepa says: “The Federal Council’s decision to allow only ghost games was to be expected. Of course we accept that overcoming the Corona crisis has the highest priority. However, we would like to point out that this ban will cause further serious financial damage for us as well. This damage cannot be compensated by operational activities. Since March of this year we have had to face significant income shortages. “
And the president of HC Lugano, Vicky Mantegazza, writes: “Once again the Swiss authorities have not recognized the value of sport, which creates around 100,000 jobs in Switzerland”. And the National League and the Swiss League write of the reduction to 50 people: “This is a great setback!”
And the junior teams?
Children up to the age of 16 can continue exercising. But the older kids look down the drain. Associations that campaigned for their junior teams and argued that at the highest levels of protection concepts nearly equivalent to those of professionals were not heard.
Can we still play sports?
Sports and cultural leisure activities are only allowed indoors with a maximum of 15 people if you can keep enough distance and if you are wearing a mask. In large rooms such as tennis halls, a mask is not required. In the open air it is necessary to keep only the distance. All contact sports in the amateur zone are prohibited.
Source link
