COVID-19 has certainly made its impact on the world. The sheer scale of this virus and its ability to cripple an entire planet has put huge emphasis on just how fragile our society can be at times. We are a cunning species and will endure this tirade, but one thing’s for sure; this will change how we live and operate.

The numbers are obviously staggering with patients ticking over into the millions globally at this stage. Hundreds of thousands of lives will be lost and the economic damage will be the worst this planet has ever seen, taking many years to fully bounce back. It’s our generations nuclear bomb and it certainly is a doozy.

But apocalyptic doom aside, how this virus has affected our daily life is what was never predicted. Invading our hobbies and pastimes with no regard for our sanity and boredom. By that we mean our beloved sports and the catastrophic damage caused to Portugal’s way of life via the sudden loss of the Primeira Liga. 

The outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic has sent societies all over the world spinning into unprecedented times. Naturally, the main concern for the worldwide population is staying healthy, but Covid-19 has also had a massively detrimental effect on economies all over the planet.

The sudden cancellation of all sports events is a source of huge frustration for professional sportsmen and women, coaching and training staff, not to mention event organisers and their employees. A whole industry defined by competitive energy has been forced to put its collective feet up, literally ordered to stay at home in many cases. As a corollary, another sector that has been hit hard is the online betting apps industry. 

Despite the Coronavirus pandemic continuing to wreak havoc all around the world, the Portuguese League has drawn up provisional plans to complete the current season by the end of July.

Earlier this week, UEFA imposed a limit of 3 August for registrations for the European competitions in 2020/21. On Thursday the Portuguese League presented its plan to resume the domestic competitions. 

The Coronavirus pandemic is causing chaos to all economic sectors all around the world. Football finances have not escaped the general malaise, and Portugal’s top-flight clubs are set to take measures to cut footballers’ salaries as soon as April.

Joaquim Evangelista is the head of the Portuguese professional footballers’ union. While standing up for the rights of his members, he is realistic when it comes to what is likely to happen in the immediate future. “If cutting wages saves Portuguese football, we’re open to it,” he said, in an interview published in today’s edition of the Diário de Notícias.