Manchester United have said the current coronavirus pandemic has cost the club in the region of £28 million to date. They also expect these figures to rise. This comes after the club revealed their third quarter results to March 31st.
BBC Report that Cliff Baty said they are due to hand back around £20 million in regards to television revenue, that’s even if the season restarts. The remaining £8 million comes from final three weeks of March when United had three games cancelled due to the pandemic. Batty speaking in a conference call said that television broadcasters will receive the £20 million back due to changes in dates and times of games. Retail sales have also been impacted, this including jerseys and souvenirs for example. He said sales have been “impacted” due to the Old Trafford shop been shut.
The clubs executive vice chairman did state the worst has yet to come for the club stating that the current quarter which runs to the end of June will be where the major burden will occur. He said, “Our third-quarter results reflect a partial impact that the pandemic has had on the club but the greater impact will be in the current quarter and likely beyond,”. Mr Woodward acknowledged that the virus will not go away overnight and stated, “These are unprecedented times and we must recognise that this crisis will not disappear overnight”. He said it is one of most “extraordinary and testing time of clubs 142 year history”.
United haven’t played a game in 10 weeks since the Europa League with Austrian side Lask Linz. A game Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men won 5-0 in the round of 16.
