Sport could be played out in empty stadiums 'for another 18 months' until a vaccine is developed to combat coronavirus - meaning potential financial ruin for scores of clubs.
Dr Zach Binney, an epidemiologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, says tens of thousands of spectators in close proximity in a stadium is 'very, very dangerous.'
The coronavirus pandemic has led to an almost total shutdown of all sport across the globe with little certainty on when the action will resume and whether fans will be able to watch.
Playing in front of empty stadiums for a year or more would be disastrous for a number of clubs in the Premier League and the EFL who rely heavily on ticket sales and matchday revenue.