Doncaster: We don’t do payday loans
Under-fire Neil Doncaster has defended the SPFL’s failure to give advance fee payments to clubs this season – with Partick Thistle raging at what they consider to be double standards.
The Firhill outfit were relegated
from the Championship after chiefs claimed prize money could only be handed out when the league was called.
But on Friday it emerged that advances of £150,000 were issued to both the Jags and Motherwell in 2017 before the campaign’s end due to a fixture anomaly that meant one fewer Old Firm home game pre-split.
As part of the SPFL’s resolution to end the 2019-20 season, it was made clear to clubs a Yes vote was the only viable way of releasing funds.
That was despite a claim from Hearts owner Ann Budge she had previously been on the SPFL’s board when a loan – or advance – was issued.
But chief exec Doncaster said: “Quite simply, Ann is mistaken. No loan was approved while Ann was on the SPFL board.”
Instead, in light of the fixture anomaly, he added: “Bearing in mind the board approves fee payments to clubs throughout the season, the board decided that in the case of Partick and Motherwell those two clubs would be entitled to invoice the league for £150,000 each – which they got earlier than other clubs.
“At the same time Celtic agreed to forego £300,000 in fees they would’ve expected to receive at that time.
“So there was no cash flow impact on the league nor the other nine clubs in the league.
“There’s a big difference between loans and fee payments and it’s important to make the distinction.
“They were fee payments subject to VAT, which loans are not. Those advanced payments were invoiced by the clubs, loans are not invoiceable. And loans by their very definition have to be repaid. These advance fee payments did not.”
But a senior boardroom source involved with Jags at the time of the 2017 payment said: “It’s clearly just semantics and Thistle have every right to be angry here. It’s ironic they were the club involved three years ago in getting an advance.
“If it is only the wording in the rules then why not simply rip up the rulebook to allow payments to be made to clubs without calling the leagues?
“The SPFL is the league and there are so many of our clubs bleeding – they need help so change the rules to help them.”
Doncaster insists an advance on clubs’ final instalment of cash wasn’t an option, declaring “as of the end of March we had already paid out in full position six to 12” in the Premiership.
The SPFL chief said: “So any further amounts you make available to those clubs means you stand the very real risk – if games are played and clubs move places – that they end up owing you money.”