EFL chairman warns that clubs could still go out of business due to coronavirus

Luton haven't played a Championship game since early March

English Football League chairman Rick Parry has warned that the threat of clubs going bust because of the financial impact of Covid-19 has not gone away.

Although an agreement has been reached by the Championship to finish the season on the field, both League One and League Two voted by an overwhelming majority to end their campaigns, but keeping promotion and relegation, while the play-offs will still take place.

Parry had stated last month that a "£200m hole" will exist in the finances of EFL clubs by September, and he remains deeply concerned that is the case.

Speaking to BBC Sport: "We still have a massive shortfall.

"My estimate was based essentially on the loss of match-day income, which still remains the case.

"There is still no prospect of games taking place in front of crowds in the near future.

"Having spent many hours over the last few days and weeks getting clarity on this season, now we can start to turn our attention to the challenges of next season.

"But those challenges have not diminished in any way shape or form. There is a major problem still facing us.

"The aim is to make sure all the clubs survive and and we will be working 24 hours a day to make sure they do.

"We can't give guarantees. Who knows whether we have seen the end of this crisis or whether there is going to be a second spike.

"But our aim, our avowed aim, and we will be giving it our very best shot, is to make sure the EFL comes through this stronger than we are at the moment."

Had the Championship gone the same way as League One and Two, decided on a points per game method, then Town would have found themselves relegated to the third tier, sitting second bottom and six points from safety.

Parry admitted it was an outcome that he didn't have any pleasure in announcing, adding: "It wasn't a decision anybody wanted to take.

"The board's position throughout has been that we wanted to finish the season.

"But a whole series of circumstances made that impossible.

"You feel for clubs but it is not as if these were marginal decisions.

"We had overwhelming votes in terms of the process for curtailing the season and two very strong votes on the part of League Two and League One to actually curtail."