EFL Chairman says League One and Two 'must continue' in frank interview as financial concerns grow

Rick Parry says stopping play in the EFL is ‘absolutely’ the last resort.
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Parry this week expressed his ‘deep frustration’ with the Government decision to pause the return of fan to stadiums from October 1st.

The EFL Chairman says that decision will cost clubs up to £200 million, and in a frank interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, conceded that it currently looked as if fans would not be able to return until March.

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The testing of players during the COVID-19 pandemic is also a growing problem for the EFL, with Grimsby Town having to postpone their next three fixtures as a result of a positive case.

Sunderland fans may not be able to return to the Stadium of Light until MarchSunderland fans may not be able to return to the Stadium of Light until March
Sunderland fans may not be able to return to the Stadium of Light until March

Parry, however, says that the third and fourth tiers ‘need to remain relevant’.

“We're absolutely not having those discussions,” Parry said.

“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, frankly.

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“League One and League Two clubs are the heartbeat of their communities, we need them playing football and coming out of this stronger.”

The EFL have yet to decide on the rules for if this season was to be curtailed, with the third and fourth tier clubs voting last season to settle tables on a points-per-game basis.

They are likely to follow the lead of the Premier League, who are set to discuss the matter next week.

Parry is seeking to secure financial support for clubs while fans are not allowed in stadiums, and candidly warned that some clubs could be in trouble as soon as October without it.

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“We've consistently said that we need up to £250 million,” he said.

“We've been saying it since May, which was based on the assumption of not having crowds for the whole of this season.

“So we don't have to recalculate, it just means we need to get to the upper end of that figure.

“We've been working night and day on it, we've been in constructive dialogue with the Premier League but we are exploring other options as well.

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“It might be a package of measures, we're still hoping we might get some support from Government.

“We remain confident that we will have a package but we do need specifics, clubs need answers and reassurance very, very soon.”

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