With large sections of society in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak people are having to find new ways to keep themselves occupied.
Many have sought refuge in the world of virtual sports, sparking a huge rise in the amount of people playing games online.
Football Manager 2020 has proved to be hugely popular, with the number of users going through the roof since real-life football was suspended.
Read on as we look at the impact coronavirus has had on sport and assess how FM2020 has helped to save the day for bored sports fans.
Top-class sport presses the pause button
Growing fears over coronavirus caused chaos in sport, resulting in many organisations deciding to shut down their major competitions across the world.
In football, the likes of the Premier League and Champions League have been placed on hold, while the European Championships and Olympic Games have been pushed back to 2021.
Tennis, golf, cricket and Formula 1 are amongst a plethora of other sports that have been affected, leaving sports fans with very little action to watch.
Horse racing has also been impacted, with the prestigious Grand National meeting at Aintree one of the biggest casualties of the lockdown.
However, punters are still able to use racing tips to back horses in South Africa, United States and Australia, with each country staging meetings behind closed doors.
Sports Interactive to the rescue
With most sport cancelled and normal daily life put on hold for the time being, people have been searching for ways to fill their time.
FM2020 has proved to be a lifesaver for many people, giving them the opportunity to put their worries to one side and immerse themselves in the world’s best football game.
Developers Sports Interactive (SI) have done their bit to help relieve boredom by making FM2020 free-to-play until April 1.
According to SI boss, Miles Jacobson, more than 180,000 people spent last Sunday enjoying some escapism via Football Manager.
The company will no doubt benefit from a spike in sales as a result of its gesture, but no-one would begrudge them that in these troubled times.
Mowbray ‘upset’ after harsh sacking
Any Blackburn Rovers fans reading this can breathe a sigh of relief as manager Tony Mowbray remains firmly in a job at Ewood Park.
However, his namesake Guy Mowbray had cause to be angry after being sacked by York City despite guiding them into the promotion mix on FM2020.
The football commentator took to Twitter to express how upset he was and to blast the players who had let him down on the game.
York’s official Twitter account grabbed the opportunity to get involved by amusingly thanking Mowbray for his efforts and wishing him all the best for the future.
Mowbray went on to confirm that he was rejected for the manager’s job at Solihull Moors, but was handed a route back into football by Tamworth of the Southern League Premier Division Central.
