How Covid-19 Has Affected Football From having no spectators in stadiums to having seasons being curtailed, the Coronavirus pandemic has had a massive effect on the world of football both domestically and internationally. All over the world, different football associations have taken various measures in order to halt the spread of Covid-19 and ensure that football can be continued safely.
The first sign of Covid-19 affecting football came in China which was the epicentre of the virus, with the start of the Chinese Super League being postponed at the end of January as cases began to escalate within the country. This was a sign of things to come for European football as in March; the majority of European football had to be shut down with 4 of the 5 major leagues, which include England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, decided to restart their seasons over the months of May and June. Countries such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands decided to not resume their seasons at all with PSG and Club Bruges being declared champions in France and Belgium respectively. The Netherlands declared their football season null and void as the league was too close to call between Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, separated only by goal difference. What happened in France and Belgium also occurred in Scotland with Celtic being crowned champions after all the Scottish Premiership clubs agreed to end the season early and prepare for the new
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season to start. This didn’t come without controversy as Hearts were relegated despite only being 6 points from safety with 8 games to go, along with Partick Thistle being relegated from the Scottish Championship despite being 2 points behind 9th placed Queen of the South with a game in hand. The majority of leagues in Europe managed to finish out their seasons which have allowed a transition into the 2020/21 season, allowing most leagues to start up again in August and September. The Champions League and Europa League had to take a break along with all the leagues in Europe as football all over the world came to a halt. However, European football was allowed to be completed over the month of August with games being played almost every day. This could happen due to the removal of two ties in a knock out round and all the teams having to play in the same country, with Champions League teams playing in Portugal while Europa League teams played in Germany. This allowed for more exciting and attacking games, along with getting rid of home and away
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advantage, with an example being Bayern Munich’s 8-2 victory over FC Barcelona in the Champions League Quarter Final. This trend of having one-off ties continued into the new season with the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers. This allows the qualifiers to be completed in a quicker way and also ensuring less travel between countries has to be made. The only round that will be a two legged playoff is the 4th Champions League qualifying round, the step before the group stages. The strange thing about these seasons’ qualifiers is that they started before the Champions League final from last year had even been played. It is unknown if the one leg knock out ties will continue after this seasons group stages, but it would be a breath of fresh air with the chaotic and exciting football it produces. International football also suffered the same fate as the rest of football as Euro 2020 had to be postponed till 2021, still keeping the same name despite getting played a year later. The Nations League playoffs also had to be postponed till October which
