Gordon Smith believes that half of the SPFL could be wiped out by the time football is ready to resume.
The former SFA chief executive was the Director of Football at Ibrox when the football club went into administration which was followed four months later by liquidation.
Since football was suspended on March 13 there has been a number of dire predictions as the cash tap from the turnstiles, sponsors, broadcasters and season ticket renewals comes to a sudden halt.
Insurance companies are searching through the fine print in their contracts with a cold, chill wind blowing through the economy and across football.
Smith told The Sun:
I think there is a fear we could lose half of our clubs. That’s the scary prospect if this situation extends for a lengthy period. If there is no football for the next five or six months then the clubs will clearly suffer.
Scotland is arguably the most dependent country in Europe for gate income. The TV deals are not anything like they are across Europe and every club is feeling the pinch.
Clubs in the bottom two divisions are the most likely to survive. With minimal wage bills and players on year by year contracts their running costs closely match their income.
Over the last 20 years it has been Scotland’s medium sized clubs that have been at risk through overstretching with Dunfermline, Livingston, Motherwell and Dundee all spending time in administration.
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At the highest level Hearts and Rangers have been in administration in the last decade, Hearts managed to get a CVA but Rangers failed and went into liquidation.