UNITED IN CASH PLEA
SPFL clubs still waiting on bailout fund
CASH- STRAPPED Scottish clubs are yet to see a penny of emergency funding from the Scottish Government — weeks after apparently r eaching a bailout agreement.
Sportsmail understands that Barnett formula restrictions, along with red tape at Westminster and Holyrood, is delaying the release of much-needed funds.
Scottish Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick has promised to do whatever he can to help the SPFL and SFA keep clubs alive.
But, with Dundee United imposing pay cuts across the board, Peterhead announcing 29 redundancies this week, and any number of clubs still suffering despite huge budget reductions, football insiders stress the situation remains as serious as ever.
Talk of fans returning to stadia in the coming weeks looks increasingly distant as the threat of stricter lockdown measures loom.
And the recent Covid outbreaks at Kilmarnock and St Mirren, both now facing SPFL charges for allegedly breaching guidelines, have f urther weakened the league’s case for opening up grounds to punters.
Last night, United chairman Mark Ogren called for greater ‘government assistance’ to help Scottish football.
‘It has become apparent that we’re not getting fans into the stadium and, so far, we haven’t seen any government assistance,’ he said. ‘ We had budgeted and planned for this (fans at some point) initially going into the season, but we knew it was going to be a fluid situation and we’d need to adjust.
‘Unfortunately, we’re at that point where we need to look at our costs at the club because our revenues are down over 40 per cent and that’s just not a good recipe for running a business, so we have to make some tough decisions.
‘I’d like to think we can get fans back in. These are outdoor venues, we have protocols in place. Other than that, we need financial assistance. Scottish football is not a very profitable venture to begin with, a lot of clubs lose money and we’re one of those clubs.
‘It’s one thing if you’re in control of what is happening and can make those decisions, it’s another thing when the government takes control and says you can’t have any customers. That is very unnerving.
‘We need help from the Scottish Government. Football is a way of life in Scotland and the government needs to recognise that and they need to support the clubs.’
Earlier in the day, United boss Micky Mellon had insisted the players and backroom staff were ready to do whatever is required to ensure the club deals with the financial impact of Covid-19.
Some reports have claimed that summer signings including Ryan Edwards and Jeando Fuchs would be exempt from any temporary wage cut, although Mellon claimed yesterday that discussions hadn’t yet reached that stage.
Acutely aware of the savage impact Covid-19 is having on various revenue streams, he detects a willingness within the club to meet the issue head-on.
‘ Those players, to a man, understand we’re in a pandemic,’ said Mellon. ‘They’re not silly. They understand if things have to be done, then they’ll be there to help make that happen. There will be no resistance to that from them. They’re a great group.
‘ That’s t he s ame f or t he coaching staff. The important thing is that we understand we’re in a pandemic, it’s extraordinary times. It’s times that we have never seen before.
‘We know as a group it’s now touching us in this way because there is no income coming into these football clubs.’
Mellon admitted yesterday that he has not yet spoken to owner Ogren about the wage cuts but insisted he has been in ‘constant dialogue’ with sporting director Tony Asghar.
‘I’ve not read the thing (from Mark Ogren) t his morning because I’ ve been working, believe it or not,’ he said.
‘I am aware there is an owner who i s 100- per- cent backing Dundee United. And I know we’re in a global pandemic with no income. When crowds stopped coming into games, I was in the game long enough to understand that with no crowds coming in, clubs aren’t making any money, so at some stage, if crowds don’t come in, then it’s going to become very difficult.
‘Dundee United have held off until this time and now we have to have adult conversations with each other to find a way that the club can keep moving forward. There’s no big dramas as far as I’m concerned.
‘There’s some pain that’s going to have to be suffered. The players, the coaching staff, people working at Tannadice, are willing to do that because we understand that.
‘We are not on our own in this. The whole world is suffering this way and the whole world is having to make changes. It’s just our turn to have to do that.’
Asked if he could be under pressure to sell players in January, Mellon replied: ‘I don’t think there is a club in the world that doesn’t have to sell players. There is no imminent pressure put on anybody, that still stands.’