The Bundesliga could see a drop in turnover of about €2 billion over two years if fans have to stay away throughout the campaign, the German Football League (DFL) has said.
DFL chief Christian Seifert told a news conference on Monday that the previous 2019-20 season had seen a fall in turnover of about 6% or €250 million after the COVID-19 pandemic struck midway through the campaign.
- Stream FC Daily on ESPN+
- UCL: Could Gladbach force Real Madrid into the Europa League?
But the 2020-2021 season and beyond will see a much higher drop in turnover, making the fall last term -- when Bayern Munich retained the Bundesliga title ahead of rivals Borussia Dortmund -- seem like a "gentle breeze," he added.
"The overall loss of fans for the entire season will be about €650m compared to 2018-19," Seifert said.
He added that another €250m would be lost in terms of money spent on Bundesliga players in the transfer market, while additional revenues from sponsors would also be cut.
"A total turnover loss of €1bn or about 20%," he said of the outlook for turnover in 2020-21.
He said the overall loss from March 2020 to the summer of 2022 -- a period of just over two years -- could be as much as €2bn.
The DFL is in charge of the country's top two divisions.
Source: espn.co.uk