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NEW YORK — Formula One chiefs said Thursday some teams have been given cash payments to protect the championship's "ecosystem" as it absorbs the financial hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Greg Maffei, the chief executive of Formula One owners Liberty Media, said an undisclosed number of payments had been made to teams, which rely heavily on profit-sharing from F1 to survive.

The 2020 championship has been thrown into turmoil since the COVID-19 crisis swept around the world, with the Australian Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix cancelled and seven other races postponed.

With the possibility of races taking place without fans when the season does eventually resume, Maffei told analysts on a conference call Formula One may struggle to make a profit this year.

"If you run races with no live audience, we'll obviously have lower profitability, and that may be even no profitability," Maffei said.

"We may be sufficiently capitalised to handle that for 2020, but there are teams which will incur costs, particularly those that don't have minimum guarantees from F1 and really their major revenue source is the share of the profits from F1.

"We have advanced money in advance of team payments for certain teams already. There are cases where we may do more of that. There are other things that we might do to bridge teams that might need help. We're certainly not viewing this as an open checkbook.

"We want to make sure that teams are solvent because they are part of what we need to race successfully in 2020, 2021, and beyond.

"That's one of the reasons why we have to be thoughtful about how we begin. That's not only good for us, but good for the ecosystem."

Maffei, meanwhile, admitted that Formula One chiefs still had no clear idea of how the season may unfold, noting that officials were planning for a variety of scenarios.

"That's the great unknown," Maffei said. "We have scenarios for zero races, anywhere from 15-18 races, races that begin with no fans present and only the teams," Maffei said in a call with Wall Street analysts.

"We really have a host of opportunities or challenges on all fronts."

Maffei added that while drivers would need only a short lead time to resume racing, the logistics of moving teams to a particular venue would require significant planning.

"The lead time depends on a lot of things — how quickly can you get a team, or a series of teams which have been viewed as clean, to a location and where that location is," Maffei said.

"There are a lot of variables there. The drivers can probably race anytime if you can get them to a location safely."

THE HAGUE — The Dutch football federation (KNVB) called an end to the 2019-20 season on Friday, as the Eredivisie became the first top European league called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

No team will be declared champions after Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were left level on points at the top of the table with nine games still to play.

"Unfortunately, given the measures [banning large-scale gatherings] taken by the government, it became impossible to finish the 2019-2020 season," the KNVB said in a statement.

"Public health always comes first. It's not just a football problem here given what the coronavirus is doing to society. Nonetheless, the professional football committee is aware that today's decisions are going to cause great disappointment for some," it added.

Leaders Ajax, above AZ on goal difference, will qualify for next season's Champions League, according to the KNVB, which will await a definitive verdict from UEFA on May 25.

AZ will likely enter the competition's preliminary rounds, with Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven and Willem II set to compete in the Europa League based on the final standings.

It marks the first time since 1945 the Dutch season has finished without a league champion.

"As a player and as a club you naturally want to become champion," Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar told the club's website.

"You want to show it on the field and we have been at the top all year round.

"It is a pity that you are not declared champion, but in this situation that may be understandable. There are more important things at the moment than football."

No relegation or promotion

The KNVB announced its intention to scrap the season on Tuesday following the Dutch government's decision to extend a ban on mass gatherings until September 1.

Matches behind closed doors were said not to be an option as they are considered events which require a permit and police presence.

The final decision was made following a meeting with the clubs on Friday. Next season will begin with the same 18 teams that started the aborted Eredivisie campaign.

"There will be no relegation, nor promotion," said the KNVB, which is expected to face legal action from SC Cambuur and De Graafschap — the top two clubs in the second division.

"This feels like the biggest disgrace in the history of Dutch sports," Cambuur manager Henk De Jong told Dutch broadcaster NOS. His side was 11 points clear of the play-off places when the league was halted.

The Belgian Pro League is expected to take a similar decision to that of their neighbours next week, with Club Brugge to be awarded the title.

Football in Europe ground to a standstill in mid-March following the spread of the virus across the continent. However, Germany is preparing to resume the Bundesliga on May 9 behind closed doors, if the government gives the green light.

Players in France could begin to return to training starting May 11, if lockdown restrictions are eased, while La Liga is also planning for clubs to resume training early next month.

No potential restart dates have yet been announced for leagues in Italy or England.

PARIS — Andy Murray has said that he would "definitely" play in the rescheduled French Open in September, if it is able to take place as planned.

The tennis season has been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic since last month and will not resume until mid-July at the earliest.

Wimbledon has been cancelled and Roland Garros organisers controversially moved the French Open until September 20-October 4, starting just a week after the end of the US Open, from its usual start date in May.

"I'd definitely play on the clay, if it goes ahead," former world number one Murray told CNN.

"I'm a bit sceptical whether it will. I would imagine tennis would be one of the last sports to get back to normality because you've obviously got players, coaches and teams coming from all over the world into one area.

"I'd be surprised if they're back playing sport by September time, but we'll see."

Murray had been due to return from a hip injury at the Miami Open last month.

The 32-year-old Scot had considered retiring before surgery allowed him to make an initial comeback from injury last year, winning his first ATP title since 2017 in Antwerp last October.

"I was training to get ready for that and that was going to be a good test. I was fit and feeling pretty strong," Murray, currently ranked 129th in the world, said.

Tennis chiefs said this week they were launching a relief programme would be launched to help lower-ranked players financially during the lockdown.

"Players ranked 250-300 in the world, it's going to be really, really challenging for them," added three-time Grand Slam champion Murray.

"And I think in the last few years, there has been some improvements and some changes, but probably not enough.

"Sometimes you see the prize money cheque for the winner of the Grand Slams. And it's... something like $4 million. Could that money be used better and spent elsewhere in the earlier rounds or the qualifying draws or maybe used to grow some of the smaller events?"

LONDON — Jurgen Klopp believes there is still room for improvement from Liverpool despite their incredible Premier League campaign, which is on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Reds were 25 points clear of second-placed Manchester City and on the verge of their first top-flight title since 1990 when football was halted last month.

But Klopp said Liverpool, who won the Champions League last year and have only lost one Premier League match all season, could get even better.

"We will not change, that's the first thing, but whether we will be successful depends on what other clubs are doing as well because they have all the chance to improve things, do things better," he told Sky Sports.

"So I have no clue what the future will hold for us. But we will not change, this team is not the finished article, and we have a lot of space for improvement, and we work on that.

"We have fresh blood internally coming through. We can improve with this team, which is great."

Klopp does not believe football should be "forced back" after the COVID-19 shutdown but admitted it could have a positive impact on the mood of the country.

There is no end in sight to the football lockdown in England but German football authorities are set to announce plans for Bundesliga matches to restart in empty stadiums on May 9.

"We are all at home, all isolated, we have no cases or stuff like this," said Klopp.

"If we come together and train in groups of two or five or six or eight, I'm not sure when that will be possible, we have to wait for the government on that. We cannot force that and will not, because we can't, there's absolutely nothing for that.

"But if football can help in some departments with lifting the mood, giving something to think about and to deal with in a different way, then we have to start training at one point, but I don't know when that will be."

MADRID — Rafael Nadal on Monday expressed his frustration that tennis players remain unable to practise due to the coronavirus pandemic, while Roger Federer revealed he was happy with his recovery from knee surgery.

The Spanish government has extended the country's state of alarm until May 9, with the entire population confined to their homes except a small number working in specific sectors, leaving Nadal perplexed as to why he can't train.

"It's true I don't understand very well because we cannot play tennis when many people are going to work and even more so in our sport, where we keep at a large and safe distance and we play on opposite sides of the court," world number two Nadal said during an Instagram Live.

"But I understand that we are in a very critical situation, that the government is dealing with something unprecedented and I also understand that the last thing they think of is who can train and who cannot train.

"I understand the situation and obviously there are many things that are not logical but you have to accept the rules."

Nadal treated tennis fans to an Instagram Live in which he spoke to both Roger Federer and Andy Murray about their experiences during lockdown.

The men's and women's tours have been halted due to the virus, while Wimbledon was cancelled last month for the first time since World War II and Nadal's favourite Grand Slam the French Open was pushed back to September 20.

"I am not playing tennis, I do not have a court at home and I miss it a little," Nadal said.

"I am sticking to my physical routines. From the gym of my academy they were able to bring me some machines when lockdown began so I try to work a little in the morning, a little in the afternoon.

"It is very important to have both the head and the body focused and it is what I am trying to do at all times."

Federer meanwhile gave an update on his right knee after the 20-time major winner decided to undergo surgery in February.

"I've been hitting a bit against a wall, [doing] rehab with the knee," Federer said.

"It's OK, I had a really good first six weeks, then it was a bit slower, now it's getting better again but I have plenty of time.

"There is no stress, no rush. If there is anything positive [about being in lockdown] that's the only thing really. I just want the knee to be good, it doesn't matter when I return."

BERLIN — German FA chief Fritz Keller has insisted the Bundesliga could only resume next month behind closed doors, while supporters have questioned the morality of football returning at all during the coronavirus pandemic.

The German Football League (DFL) hopes to get the go-ahead from Angela Merkel's government for the top two tiers to resume next month — possibly on May 9 or 16.

There are hopes a decision will be made Thursday after the 36 clubs in the first and second divisions meet via video call.

German football was halted on March 13 to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus in Germany, which currently has 146,000 confirmed cases and 4,670 deaths as a result of the pandemic.

"This week, important decisions will be made on how to proceed," Keller told Kicker.

With large public events banned in Germany until August 31, the only viable option for league action to resume next month would be in empty grounds — dubbed 'ghost games' in German.

"We are very much aware that football without fans lacks its heart," admitted Keller.

"From discussions and feedback from fan organisations, I know how much it hurts fans that they cannot support their clubs in the stadium."

The DFL is desperate for the season to be finished by June 30 to secure an instalment of television money, reportedly worth around 300 million euros ($326 million).

Fritz warns that without that money, "some fans might never be able to attend a game of their club again, because it might soon no longer exist".

However, a nationwide collection of fan groups has voiced harsh criticism of the Bundesliga returning.

"The resumption of football, even in the form of ghost games, is not justifiable," supporters' group Fanszenen Deutschlands said in a statement.

The group says it would be a "sheer mockery of the rest of society" and especially to those in Germany's health system dealing with the pandemic.

Keller said various scenarios will be discussed in Thursday's meeting.

An issue that needs to be clarified is the testing of players and backroom staff every few days, should the league resume.

It would reportedly need 20,000 tests just for the season to be completed.

Keller insists football does not "claim a special role" in German society and that any testing of footballers will not burden the health system.

"We know exactly where the priorities are," he added.

Schalke chairman Clemens Toennies, a wealthy meat-products manufacturer, has reportedly offered the DFL the use of his company's laboratory near Bielefeld to carrying out the testing.

LONDON — Four-time champion John Higgins has said it is "heart-breaking" to miss his annual visit to snooker's World Championship for the first time in 25 years, although he understands why the tournament is not taking place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The championship was meant to start at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, northern England, on Saturday, with Higgins — runner-up in the past three editions — one of the favourites.

But with Britain in lockdown, snooker has followed major sports worldwide in coming to a standstill.

There have been suggestions the championship may take place in July, but in the meantime Higgins's bid for a fifth world title remains on hold.

"For the past 25 years I have been getting myself ready at this time to go down to Sheffield," Higgins told tournament sponsors Betfred.

"I haven't missed a year and that's more than half of my life," the 44-year-old Scot added.

"It's heart-breaking, but we know there are more important things out there going on. One day hopefully we'll be back there competing."

Higgins, who lost in the first round of his world championship debut in 1995, took the title in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

But the past three years have seen him finish runner-up to Mark Selby, Mark Williams and Judd Trump.

"I've got to take heart from reaching those finals, it shows I'm doing something right," Higgins said.

"I tried my hardest but just came up against three unbelievable champions.

"If I could win it again then I will have won it in four different decades. That would be an incredible achievement but time is running out.

"It will just be special to play there again. I'll hopefully be there for a couple of more years yet, putting my heart and soul into it and maybe giving the fans a bit of enjoyment."

PARIS — Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel on Friday cautioned against the temptation to shoehorn too many Formula One races into a revised calendar, describing the move as "not realistic".

The 22-event F1 season has been decimated by the coronavirus with nine races either cancelled or postponed.

The French Grand Prix scheduled for June 28 is also in doubt as is the Belgian Grand Prix, set for August 30.

F1 chiefs have floated the idea of making up for lost time by staging races on successive weekends or even having two races on the same weekend.

However, Ferrari star Vettel fears such a move could lead to burnout for team staff.

"We drivers are a little privileged," Vettel told reporters by teleconference from his home in Switzerland.

"Of course, the races are tiring but there have to be limits for the staff. They must rest.

"We must also see if it is easy to reschedule races, if the circuits are not already taken. Many questions remain. I think the schedule will be busier, but 10 consecutive weekends is not realistic."

Vettel suggested that he would favour staging races without fans if it allowed a quick resumption as long as it did not become a common feature.

Other sports have already toyed with the idea of staging events behind closed doors.

'It's complicated'

For example, the US PGA Tour on Thursday announced plans to resume in June, with the first four tournaments being closed to spectators.

"It's complicated," admitted Vettel.

"On the one hand, there is the health of the sport, on the other, that of the people who work in the paddock and especially the fans.

"There are several options. No one likes to run in front of empty stands, but we will have to see if it will not allow us to resume much sooner.

"The first races will probably be a little different, but not too much, I hope, because we want to run in front of the fans."

Vettel insists that for him even a 10-race season is just as valuable as a 22-race campaign.

However, he admits that the damage to the sport caused by the coronavirus pandemic could be fatal for the smaller teams on the grid.

Without racing, the massive TV and sponsorship revenues have dried up.

Half of the teams have already started furloughing staff.

Teams have agreed to lower the spending cap from $175 million (161.4 million euros) to $150 million.

"Clearly, some small teams are in danger and, as a family, F1 has to take care of its own," said Vettel.

Speculation

Spending has not been the only talk in the sport.

There has also been speculation over Vettel's contract with Ferrari.

He penned a three-year deal with the Italian giants in 2017, reportedly worth around $112 million.

There have been talks over an extension. However, those conversations took a twist after Vettel finished the 2019 championship behind new teammate Charles Leclerc.

"At the beginning [of the coronavirus crisis], the priority was to manage the situation in the best way and therefore the negotiations were put on hold," said Vettel.

"I think we are going to move forward but we do not have a specific deadline."

Whatever the outcome of the discussions, Vettel said he won't be revealing if he has been tempted to take a salary reduction.

Two weeks ago, McLaren drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris said they had taken voluntary pay cuts as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures to help their team.

"Whatever happens, we will keep this decision to ourselves, as I have always done.

"I'm not going to use this to polish my image."

PARIS — UEFA will hold an Executive Committee meeting by videoconference next Thursday, April 23, European football's governing body has confirmed, as it continues to look at ways of restarting the season in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.

Before that, the heads of each of UEFA's 55 member associations will come together next Tuesday to look at developments across both domestic and continental competitions. UEFA is also set to meet with the powerful European Club Association (ECA) and the European Leagues grouping on Wednesday.

The meetings could bring confirmation of the postponement of the next women's European Championship by a year to 2022 — following the earlier decision to postpone the men's Euro to 2021 — but any other firm decisions may be unlikely.

All leading leagues across Europe, as well as the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, were halted in mid-March as countries went into lockdown due to the pandemic. The only country that has kept on playing is Belarus.

UEFA has since remained optimistic about the prospect of finishing the European seasons and has been working on the possibility of playing in July and August if need be.

The German Football League (DFL) is also set to meet on April 23 to discuss next steps, and is determined to finish the season, with matches behind closed doors, by June 30 to ensure its clubs do not lose out on crucial TV rights revenue. Most teams have resumed training in small groups.

Belgium earlier stated its intention to bring an early end to the season, but UEFA responded to their announcement by warning that clubs risk being excluded from European competition next season if their leagues unilaterally decide to declare campaigns over.

On Wednesday, Scotland announced an early end to the season in the three leagues below the Premiership, with current league leaders declared champions.

The resolution also allows the ruling SPFL board to call the Premiership as it stands — Celtic are top — if it determines the remaining games cannot be played, but they will be waiting for further guidance from UEFA.

PARIS — The Tour de France will be raced from August 29 to September 20, organisers announced on Wednesday, postponing cycling's flagship event originally slated to start on June 27 due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The new dates follow French President Emmanuel Macron's extension of a ban on large public gatherings until mid-July.

The news comes as a relief to professional cycling teams and fans with four-times Tour winner Chris Froome welcoming "light at the end of the tunnel" for those suffering under COVID-19 lockdown.

The decision moves the three-week race out of its traditional slot in the summer holidays where roadside crowds of around 12 million would be expected to gather in festive spirit.

It will now finish on the same day the postponed French Open championships starts, September 20, giving a worrying indication of a potential autumn fixture pile-up as more sports seek to reschedule suspended events.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme told AFP the new start was based on a double rationale.

"We wanted to be as far away from the pandemic as possible," he said.

"The president put a July 14 date on public gatherings, but it seemed more reasonable to us to allow the riders time to get into peak condition."

While the dates have changed the original route remains intact, starting in Nice and finishing in Paris.

"The Tour is still the Tour. All the challenges we set remain intact," he said of the hotly anticipated climb-laden route that rarely strays far from the mountains.

Britain's Froome said the news came as a boost for all lovers of the sport.

"It's the news we have all been waiting for, some light at the end of the tunnel," said the Ineos rider.

"I'm seeing a lot of negativity and despondency on my timeline, I know this period has been tough on all of us, and bike racing is not important in the greater scheme of things.

"But let's take hope in that we may return to some sort of normality in the near future."

The new date solves a series of problems after organisers faced up to the reality that the race could never take place on the original dates.

Rescheduling means top cycling teams will survive economically, social distancing will be easier without massive crowds, and the 4,500 strong Tour de France rolling caravan can be more easily put up in hotels outside August.

With the Tokyo Games and football's Euro 2020 both delayed by a year, the Tour is the last major event remaining on the summer sports calendar.

Elite cycling will breathe a huge sigh of relief as the Tour accounts for most of its earnings.

"The Tour represents around 60 per cent of earnings in a season," French team AG2R boss Vincent Lavenu said last week.

The Tour will provide a daily fix for deprived sports addicts the world over, with millions of armchair fans able to tune in daily, including those still working from home.

The new date gives the ASO time to stage the warm-up Criterium du Dauphine — held annually ahead of the Tour but postponed this year as the spring cycling season was swept aside by the coronavirus.

Cycling's governing body the UCI has said that May's postponed Giro d'Italia would be raced after the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a Espana after that, with dates to be announced in May.

Health comes first

With the Giro and the Tokyo Olympic road race in late July on Mount Fuji both postponed, the Tour de France will be more competitive than ever as the whole spectrum of elite cyclists focus on the one race.

"The Tour de France is 3,000km of smiles," race director Christian Prudhomme has repeated many times in the past in reference to the Tour and its fans.

But he has also stressed that health comes first as France battles the coronavirus crisis.

France has been under lockdown since March 17 in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus which has claimed the lives of over 15,700 people in the country.

The epic race will now embark from Nice on the Mediterranean coast on August 29 and culminate over three weeks later on Paris's celebrated Champs Elysees on September 20, where the traditional yellow jersey is awarded to the winner beneath the Arc de Triomphe.

By Damian McCall