English FA to make 124 jobs redundant due to COVID-19 impact
CGTN
Disinfecting the stadium during the FA Cup quarterfinal between Newcastle United and Manchester City in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, June 28, 2020. /VCG

Disinfecting the stadium during the FA Cup quarterfinal between Newcastle United and Manchester City in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, June 28, 2020. /VCG

The English Football Association (FA) will make 124 positions redundant within the organization due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governing body said on Monday.

With football suspended for 100 days in England due to the pandemic, the lack of revenue from international matches and domestic cup games hit the FA, who said they are planning for potential losses of around 300 million pounds (369.42 million U.S. dollars).

St. James Park where players applaud for a minute to thank the NHS prior to the FA Cup quarterfinal between Newcastle United and Manchester City in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, June 28, 2020. /VCG

St. James Park where players applaud for a minute to thank the NHS prior to the FA Cup quarterfinal between Newcastle United and Manchester City in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, June 28, 2020. /VCG

"As a not-for-profit organization, this will hit us hard," FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in a statement.

"Therefore, over recent months, we have forensically analyzed the budget of every division within the FA in order to identify the most suitable areas to make costs savings.

"The situation has worsened to a point where we now need to reduce the size of the FA in order to deal with the financial impact of the crisis."

Wembley Stadium, London, UK, March 17, 2020. /VCG

Wembley Stadium, London, UK, March 17, 2020. /VCG

The FA said 42 positions were already vacant before the COVID-19 crisis while they are proposing to remove a further 82 roles from the organization.

The FA Cup restarted over the weekend with the four quarter-final ties in empty stadiums with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City advancing to the semi-finals.

United will meet Chelsea while Arsenal face City, with the games scheduled to be played at Wembley Stadium in London on July 18-19.

Source(s): Reuters