Clubs facing ‘real problems’, says ex-Dens boss Hartley

Former Dundee boss Paul Hartley fears for Scottish football clubs without crowds – and is not convinced the season will be completed.

The Scottish Government announcement on Tuesday on Covid-19 restrictions looks to have knocked back crowds coming back to sports in Scotland on October 5, after a spike in cases across the country.

Supporters may not be back in grounds for as long as six months, which has sparked prominent concerns some sports clubs will simply not survive without that income coming in.

Cove Rangers manager Hartley insists it is a problem for all levels of Scottish football, not just part-time clubs, and doubts whether the season will play out amid the pandemic.

He said: “If we don’t see fans for four, five, six months, clubs not just in Leagues One and Two and the Championship, but across the four divisions, there’s going to be a real problem.

“How do clubs survive – they rely heavily on gate money, corporate, hospitality – for that amount of time? It doesn’t matter how cash-rich you are, if there’s no money coming in, it’s a worry. It’s a fear.

“Say we have no fans until next year, that is going be a real worry for everybody.

“We can’t hide away from this. We’ve got to try and find a way.

“There’s a lot of talk of crowds in sport not coming in, not just in football.

“There’s a fear factor for people who work at the club and people who own the club. It’s their club, not just ours.

“I can’t say I’m 100% confident the season will start or finish. I think a lot of people are in the same boat.

“I think we could get fans in and socially distance. There’s people going for meals in restaurants and pubs and you see crowds in parks and beaches – but we can’t have any at the football.

“The protocols we’ve gone through, even to get the preseason games on, we know what we’re doing. It’s not as if we’re in an indoor environment.

“We’re getting mixed messages...we don’t know where we stand.

“There has to be common sense, because there’s probably clubs that maybe cannot see the season out.

“We’re trying our best – this is our livelihood and we’re all going to suffer here.”