Manchester United has decided to pay complete refunds to the ticket holders of the next matches if the remaining part of the season is voided or played behind closed doors, informed the English Premier League club on Friday.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 750 people and affected over 14,500 people in the United Kingdom, has forced the leagues and tournaments of all the divisions there, including the Premier League, into a standstill like most of Europe.
“Manchester United has confirmed the financial arrangements which will be put in place for ticket holders if remaining games for this season are played behind closed doors or cancelled as a result of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” a statement on the club’s official website said.
“The club fully supports the collective intent to complete the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup and the UEFA club competitions. However, if it were decided that games cannot be played, or needed to be played behind closed doors, Manchester United confirms it will offer season ticket holders either a pro-rata rebate against their season tickets for next year, or a pro-rata cash refund based on the number of games still to be played,” the statement added.
The Season Ticket renewal deadline, initially May 1, has been suspended. The Red Devils said the date will be continuously reviewed and a new deadline will be put in place once there is confirmation of the start date of the 2020/21 season. The club commit to giving as much notice of the revised renewal deadline as possible given the evolving situation.
Most of the lower-rung clubs, who depend on the matchday ticket sales and the TV rights revenues to run their businesses, have been severely hit by the global crisis caused by the novel coronavirus.
Many of the Premier League and Championnship teams have asked the Football Association (FA) and the other concerned authorities to resume football and are desperate to play the remaining part of the season behind closed doors to avoid the broadcasting revenues.
However, FA last week extended the suspension of all forms of professional games till April 30. The announcement was made after officials of the FA, the English Premier League, the English Football League and the women’s professional game held a meeting earlier this week.