How will world football change after the pandemic?

The astronomic figures clubs were paying players in order to lure them in could be a thing of the past, as COVID-19 pandemic will reshape the football business.

"Nothing will ever be the same again," said Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA president. "Once the pandemic is over, it will be time to sit down and rethink today's football," added Gianni Infantino, FIFA president. 

They are two of the most authoritative voices in the world of football. Once the world's population can return to normal, everything will have changed. The millions that clubs used to be able to pay will have disappeared.

Finishing this season's competitions has become a matter of life and death for the teams. Television and box office rights are essential and, according to 'Marca', in Spain alone there is still an expected revenue of around 700 million euros to be made with what is left of the season. 

Teams have also begun to reach agreements with their players to reduce their salaries. This has been done by Barcelona, also Espanyol and Atlético de Madrid, along with other teams around Europe, with teams in Germany becoming the first to do so.  

This also reduces the budget for large investments. One of the big losers could be Paul Pogba, who has gone from an almost assured departure from Manchester United to having to consider staying for yet another season because of his high price tag.  

While the world suffers from the COVID-19 pandemic, football clubs' priority is survival, with an eventual return to reality for the 2020-2021 season.