Agreement on broadcasting rights, valid between 2016 and 2019 and valued at €9.3 billion, would allow clubs to have no fans at the stadium, as tickets sold accounted for only a fifth of last season's revenue.

Half of the Premier League teams would not need to have fans at the stadiums, and would still make a profit. The conclusion was made by a study conducted by the BBC, based on the numbers of the 2016/2017 season.

Tickets sold in the last season accounted for only a fifth of revenue. The € 9.3 billion of the television rights agreement reached by the clubs between 2016 and 2019 allows the teams this financial 'cushion'.

The vast majority of English clubs can "dispense with their audiences to make a profit", said Bob Wilson, a specialist in the football economy.

In statements to the BBC, the president of the FSF, Malcolm Clarke, stresses that clubs should not forget the public.

"The players and coaches come and go, but we're always here. The reason they can get lucrative contracts is because in the end product there is the crowd, the noise, the rival fans, the environment. Would not it be annoying to see a Premier League match in an empty stadium?", said Malcolm Clarke.