Scottish clubs are desperate for the UK Government to call off the current season in order to survive.
It seems likely that there could be no more football until August at the earliest which would deny clubs matchday income from fans, sponsors and hospitality.
The regular flow of income has virtually halted for most clubs with wages beyond the end of this month likely to be a problem. Players who are out of contract in the summer will struggle massively to find a new deal as the impact of Coronavirus takes a grip on the game.
Yesterday it was reported that Boris Johnson will declare that the professional seasons are over at some stage this week.
That will spark arguments and debate about the final league positions but the bottom line is that clubs need cash with that announcement opening the door to prize money and insurance pay-outs.
The Daily Record reports:
Anxious Scottish clubs want the government to abandon the football season this week – and save them from financial catastrophe.
Record Sport understands urgent talks are already underway between the SPFL and Holyrood as the coronavirus crisis deepens – with the national game now facing the nightmare prospect of a full-scale sporting lockdown for more than four months.
And now worried owners on both sides of the border are piling pressure on Prime MinisterBoris Johnsonand First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to take official action which would then allow them to claim for millions of pounds worth of emergency cash from insurance companies.
Only if the politicians decree the football season must be brought to an abrupt and immediate end can those ‘loss of earnings’ policies be triggered. And without that money, clubs up and down the country could be forced to go to the wall.
Celtic should be relatively immune from any immediate problems with around £40m in the bank but they do have a massive wage bill with season ticket money still the most significant part of their income.
While the club will have Insurance on various aspects of their business sponsors will also have clauses in their contracts assuming a certain level of exposure. Celtic’s strong relationships with sponsors is very likely to ensure that deals remain in place despite a likely break of four or five months.