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EFL chairman responds to rumours League One and League Two seasons could be halted

The EFL chairman, Rick Parry, responds to the rumours that the League One and League Two seasons could be halted for a second time this year.

The surge in coronavirus cases recently has seen the government scrap plans for fans to return to matches in October, leaving many clubs worried about who they can survive with no spectators or matchday income.

Parry has predicted that it could be a six month delay – March at the earliest that stadium doors are opened to the public again.

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He has however responded to the talk that the season could be called to a halt.

It has left many clubs facing a financial black hole, with the EFL trying to raise a £250m rescue package for clubs.

Parry admits that League One and League Two must continue with their campaigns as he warned that if they were to go into ‘hibernation’, they may not come back out of it.

Parry added that the bottom two divisions of the EFL must continue to play and come out of the situation ‘stronger’.

As reported by Manchester Evening News, annual salary caps of £2.5m and £1.5m in League One and League Two respectively have been implemented over the summer as part of the response to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to matches taking place behind closed doors and supporters watching from home.

And Parry called halting the season a ‘last resort’ from the EFL’s point of view, putting a stop on those rumours.

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He told Radio Five Live: “I’m not saying that dialogue isn’t happening within clubs or amongst clubs but, from our perspective, it’s absolutely the last resort.

“We need League One and League Two to remain relevant – if we go into hibernation, we might not come out of it, quite frankly.

“League One and League Two matter, they’re the heart of their communities, we need them playing football and coming out of this stronger.”

He added: “In League One and League Two more than 30% of the revenues come from gate receipts.

“We’ve consistently said we need up to £250m and that was based on the losses of last season and an assumption that we play the whole of this season without crowds.

“Some [clubs] are on the brink. Some would have been without Covid-19. We have kept nearly all of them intact so far and of course there is a prospect that if we can’t get a package some will go to the wall.

“In a normal year our clubs rely on £440m of owner funding to keep them afloat. That is the size of the losses they make.”

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Grimsby Town chairman Philip Day has called for the League Two season to be suspended.

The Mariners have had to postpone their next three fixtures – including last Saturday’s scheduled trip to Cheltenham – after midfielder Jock Curran returned a positive test for coronavirus on Friday.

Having been in contact with his team-mates earlier in the week, the entire Town squad have entered self-isolation, while the club’s training ground has been shut for 14 days.

Because of this, their league fixture against Bradford City, and the EFL Trophy clash with Hull City has been postponed.

Walsall’s clash against Leyton Orient earlier this season was also called off after the majority of the O’s squad tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of their Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham.

Stevenage’s trip to Bradford on Saturday is also in doubt after one of the visitors’ players tested positive for the virus, before another two contracted it, that game however went ahead after discussions between the clubs and the EFL was decided there was “no medical reason” the game could not take place.

Gillingham manager Steve Evans has called on EFL chairman Rick Parry to take action with some clubs facing uncertain futures. See what he said in the video below…

Grimsby chairman Philip Day said: “We have no fans, and to be faced with an extra £5,000 a week (for testing), well really we should be closing down,” Mr Day told BBC Radio Humberside.

“We were never asked whether we wanted to restart, we were told we had to restart, and really with all of this going on, it’s just an impossible situation for clubs at our level.

“Our local MPs have been briefed by the football club as to the financial implications of us playing, and I know that Martin Vickers has made representations to the government that we can’t continue like this.”

Asked if the only way Town can survive is by not playing, Mr Day replied: “If we haven’t got any crowds, and if we have to test every week, then that would be the case, yes.

“The EFL hasn’t got any money of itself, because the only money it has, it distributes to its clubs from its television income.

“The Premier League should certainly be digging into their pockets. What’s the (total) fees clubs will have paid this transfer window? I suspect it will be over a billion pounds, and the EFL have said we need about £250million to keep clubs going.

“We were fortunate, we went into this with a healthy bank balance. We have been criticised in the past for being prudent in the way we run the football club, but thank goodness we were prudent because we went into it with a healthy bank balance, and that will see us through.

“We will not fold, we will see through the situation, but it will have emptied our coffers completely.”

A financial package is being urged from EFL and non league clubs towards the government and the Premier League to help ease the pressure, start the National League season and prevent clubs from folding. Click HERE to read more on that.

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