The corona pandemic hit the world almost exactly three years ago and paralyzed everything. Football is coming back in Europe soon, but the spectators aren't for a long time. The income breaks away, the clubs write high losses. But slowly there are positive signals.
European football was still suffering severely from the effects of the corona pandemic in 2022. After a loss of revenue of almost eight billion euros in 2020 and 2021, losses for 2022 are estimated at another 2.5 to 3 billion euros. This emerges from the current report by the European Football Union (UEFA) on club licensing.
According to the analysis of the data, Covid has “undoubtedly left deep scars” that are “difficult to heal”. Nevertheless, there are "encouraging signs". Interest in European football is "at an all-time high" - as unequivocally demonstrated by record investment in clubs and the unprecedented level of revenue reported by clubs for FY2022.
The data collected assumes 4.1 percent higher revenue in 2022 than before the pandemic. This is primarily due to significantly increased sponsorship revenues. Outfitter revenue is up 12 percent, merchandising revenue is up 17 percent and lead sponsor revenue is 22 percent above pre-pandemic levels. Ticket sales have also returned to 93 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Incidentally, player salaries, which absorb 54 percent of revenue, skyrocketed by 16 percent.
For UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, the outcome of the analysis of financial data from over 700 clubs is "a real testament to the resilience and resilience of our sport. This year's report vividly shows how quickly European football is recovering from unprecedented threats and at the same time for fans, Investors and sponsors remain as attractive as ever". One is pleased that the income of the first division clubs is now higher again than before the pandemic.
UEFA and its member associations must now "remain vigilant and strictly implement the rules of financial sustainability at European and national level," said Čeferin. The reform of Financial Fair Play (FFP) should also ensure this. The FFP, which is often insufficiently implemented, has been replaced since the summer of 2022 by the successor regulation of "financial sustainability". Accordingly, the clubs may not spend more than 70 percent of their income on transfers, salaries and consultant fees.
