Extinction or survival could be the stark outlook for Crawley Town if they don’t pick up financial boosts like Leeds United’s TV money between now and May.
Head coach John Yems said he hoped this weekend’s Premier League opponents may donate their half of the BBC television money to the Red Devils.
Yeams was speaking after formal COVID-19 testing returned to the League Two club ahead of the FA Cup game, which he felt was amusing.
“It’s funny because the Premier League boys are getting done twice a week and it seems funny the FA Cup comes around and it’s all hands to the pump because we’ve got a Premier League side,” he said.
“I just hope Leeds donate their money back to us, which would be a very good gesture so we can start paying for a few things.”
The pandemic has ravaged the vast majority of the global football industry, largely because of the restrictions on supporters attending matches.
Crawley are one of many in the EFL struggling through a financially crippling campaign and may even struggle to finish the full season, according to Yems.
“All jokes aside, Premier League sides, you wouldn’t get as much as you would normally because of the no crowd, but in the current climate it would be nice, like they used to in the old days, if some clubs donate a little bit back to you, but who knows,” he said.
The 61-year-old reflected on the type of gesture which was a regularity in the past. In 1994, third-tier Brighton & Hove Albion donated their half of the kitty to Yems’s non-league Kingstonian.
While he knows Crawley have no right to the money, he acknowledges it would be a kind gesture if the Whites did pass it on.
“When we was at Kingstonian, we played Brighton, and they let us have the money from the gate receipts, but now, obviously, with no gate receipts, it’s more TV money,” he said.
“They split it 50-50. If you can get money off a Yorkshireman I’ve heard it’s a bit of a state so I wouldn’t expect it.
“If you look at the levels it would be a good gesture. There’s a lot of clubs out there that want to help the lower clubs, but they don’t know how to.
“All I’m saying, for the money it takes, it might be the difference between finishing the season well or not finishing the season.
“It would be a heck of a nice gesture if they could do something.”
