Fleetwood chairman Andy Pilley warns: Football is sleepwalking into the abyss

Speaking on the D3D4 football podcast, the Town chief implored the government and Premier League to get their heads together to help clubs starved of revenue by empty stadiums.

He explained: “We did have a budget for crowds returning in October and it was our hope that by mid to late November we could be back to pretty much business as usual, with fans, sponsors and all the other revenue streams a football club enjoys. The news fans would not be allowed back in October was a real hammer blow to my club and to an industry that was already on the floor.

“At most clubs, the owner would normally dip into personal funds and help it through torrid times. But the core business of most owners will be suffering the same hardship and the money isn’t there to help the club.

“Football is the core sport of the country and touches entire communities from young to old, and we really need to stand up and make as much noise as we possibly can.”

Pilleyinsists he isn’t bothered who provides the vital cash injection to safeguard EFL clubs as long as someone does.

He added: “The fact is we need help or there may be irretrievable damage done to the pyramid. The leagues will be fundamentally broken. How do we complete a season if 12 clubs go?

“We need assistance in the EFL. Threequarters of the teams in the Premier League have spent time in the EFL, so should remember where they have come from and where they may end up in future. They need the pyramid, which develops their players.

“We can’t have a game of tennis with this problem, with the government and Premier League batting it from one side to the other.

“We need to lock these two organisations in the same room and come out with a solution which ensures the clubs that so proudly represent their towns and cities up and down this country don’t go out of business.

“There’s a lot of talk about the football family and now is the time to see if it actually exists because unless help is provided football clubs will go out of business.

“Are we going to continue seeing these abhorrent transfer fees being paid when your smaller brothers and sisters just up the road are dying? We need help now and so we are appealing to the Premier League to do right thing.”