CORMACK WARNS OF FAN LOCK-OUT UNTIL 2021

ABERDEEN chairman Dave Cormack claims Scottish football has been condemned to a closed-doors existence until 2021. As a member of the SPFL’s Broadcasting and Innovation Task Force, set up to explore streaming options and virtual season tickets, Cormack is at the heart of discussions aimed at making sure next term kicks off on time. And the US-based investor revealed that ‘ghost games’ are likely to be the norm for much longer than previously expected. ‘Two months ago, our assumption was there would be no games in front of fans until September,’ he said. ‘It now looks likely that this will not be the case until early 2021.’

With Scottish Premiership clubs more reliant on gate receipts than those in any other major European league, even the new, much-vaunted five-year £160million Sky TV deal — due to begin on August 1 — won’t make up for losing halfa-season’s worth of matchday revenue. At Pittodrie, existing investors have already stepped in to plug a £2m hole in club finances. Now, Cormack is urging supporters to play their part, pleading with them not to take up the offer of cashback on 2019-20 season tickets despite the campaign being cut short. ‘The cancellation of our remaining fixtures from last season now leaves us with the daunting prospect of a further £1m of potential losses through part refunds across season tickets, advertising, hospitality and sponsorship,’ he said. ‘Where possible, our appeal to supporters who are in a position to do so is to leave the partial refund with the club to help address our funding shortfall. We could have wriggled out of offering partial refunds, but we don’t believe that is the right thing to do and that has been our whole ethos throughout this crisis. ‘It’s about who we are as a club, at the heart of our city and region, supporting our fans and the wider community. ‘We know that many supporters are experiencing hardship and it’s therefore important that a partial refund is made available. Like every other club, we face a major, and ever-growing cashflow challenge as a result of the continued suspension of football. ‘At the end of March, we announced that AFC had taken swift steps to address the financial consequences of no games in the short-term with some cost-cutting measures, but mainly through deferral of salaries and furloughing relevant groups of staff. ‘We also secured an additional £2m from investors. ‘Our goal was, and remains, to do what we can to safeguard jobs and support our community. We can only do so by ensuring the ongoing viability of the club.’