Football still its own worst enemy when it comes to a crisis

UNLOVED, untrustworthy, undeserving of public support. It might hurt to hear the sport we hold so dear described in such unflattering terms.

But, clearly, those are only some of the more polite words used whenever the Scottish football ‘brand’ is discussed at Holyrood.

To those with their hands on the levers of power, our national game is viewed as a cross between a self-serving autocracy and an economic basket case.

Now, why ever should that be the case? What could our civil leaders possibly dislike about an industry where clubs can plead poverty one day, then make ‘substantial’ offers to buy players the next?

Why, it’s almost as if those holding the purse strings see certain clubs as slatternly spendthrifts not to be trusted with the petty cash, never mind a multimillion-pound public bailout fund.

Next they’ll demand that the wealthiest outfits, those willing and able to spend millions in the transfer market, actually pony up some pennies for the paupers at the impoverished end of this nation’s favourite sport. The cheek of it.

Look, this column has repeatedly argued that football is an industry deserving of public funds during this time of unprecedented economic crisis.

And Richard Leonard’s demand for a Scottish Football Aid Fund should do exactly what he intended.

Namely, expose the Scottish Government’s embarrassing lack of action on an issue of genuine national importance.

But we’ve all possibly been a little guilty of viewing the current ‘negotiations’ — okay, stand-off — between the authorities at Hampden and Holyrood as a simple black-and-white, goodversus-evil, either/or situation.

The truth? There’s fault on both sides. And the very best efforts of the SPFL and SFA to curry favour among the political classes, hoping that their softly-softly approach will reap richer rewards than banging tables and shouting the odds, is not being helped by the words and deeds of certain member clubs.

One of Leonard’s predecessors as Scottish Labour leader, former First Minister Henry McLeish, told Sportsmail this week that there’s a distinct lack of trust between the game and the government.

They see the administration of football as secretive. And they don’t have any faith in clubs not to simply blow the money on another holding midfielder.

That’s not a state of affairs that can be repaired overnight. Because this breakdown in relations hasn’t just happened over the past six months.

Covid didn’t break anything. It merely exposed the flaws already inherent in so many systems.

And so the lack of common purpose among SPFL sides has rarely been more evident.

Consider, for instance, the horrific patchwork of ‘official club TV’ streams that leave season ticket holders searching — not always successfully — for live action in some very odd places. A bargain at around £400 for the year. If you’re lucky.

Or tune into the furious white noise whenever anyone suggests that, should public cash be forthcoming, the biggest and wealthiest in the land should recuse themselves from the offer.

What do you think it will take for the government to actually agree terms on a salvage package?

Celtic and Rangers both saying they’ll pass on their share of any bailout? Maybe you extend that to cover a couple of others, using crude means testing to identify those too wealthy to be helped — or apply a more subjective judgment on their prudence in the summer market.

Yeah, good luck persuading any club that gladly handing a competitive advantage to their rivals is a clever bit of business. You’d be able to hear the squealing about ‘sporting integrity’ from outer space.

Some have suggested putting strict limits on how any public money might be used.

Insist that it be spent on testing or re-opening those mothballed academies; if the former seems more pressing, the latter is a ticking time bomb that ought to be addressed immediately.

How does that work in the lower leagues, though? Wages are their biggest expense. And, in their own way, they are a huge part of the whole player development process.

Listening to Leonard’s slightly muddled proposals, with their focus on grassroots and nonleague clubs, it seems like there’s still a reluctance to prop up the professional game.

Under his plans, priority would apparently be given to clubs wishing to carry on funding community outreach projects — and willing to invite fans’ representatives on to the board.

The danger in that kind of mashed-up thinking? That we veer towards very loaded language about the deserving poor. As opposed to, well, you know.

Still, Leonard is right to point out that even many major SPFL clubs, as well as being run as businesses, play a vital role in their community.

And nobody, absolutely nobody, within the game is predicting anything other than more misery on the horizon.

Without a donation from the taxpayer, the worst-case scenario — clubs folding and leagues left unable to complete full campaigns — seems entirely likely.

Oh, the Scottish Government would rightly have to take their share of responsibility for that.

But don’t think for a minute that football, an industry seemingly unable to help itself, will escape recriminations. There’s going to be plenty of blame to go round.