Scottish clubs have lost £70MILLION due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with damages set to reach £100m before fans return… as pressure build on Government to step in
- All 42 SPFL teams plus Highland and Lowland clubs showed their Covid-19 loss
- The figure has reached £70m and will rise to £100m by before fans can return
- The Scottish Government are now under pressure to provide financial support
- Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has said clubs ‘want a plan’ from Government
Scottish football has already sustained losses in excess of £70million as a consequence of coronavirus.
And the deficit is projected to reach £100m before fans are allowed back into grounds.
Figures provided by the SFA to the Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament and SportScotland detail a breakdown of losses incurred by the nation’s senior clubs since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in March.
Scottish clubs have lost £70m as a result of Covid-19, a figure set to rise up to £100m
Scottish clubs have calculated their losses from the coronavirus as fans continue to be absent
All 42 senior SPFL teams plus clubs in the Highland and Lowland leagues were asked to calculate how the loss of matchday income, sponsorship, hospitality, bonuses and other revenue streams had cost them.
And Sportsmail understands the eye-watering sum has now exceeded the £70m mark – and is expected to go considerably higher before the end of the season.
The latest financial bombshell will increase pressure on the Scottish Government to provide financial assistance to stricken clubs in football, rugby and other key sports.
A new £300m emergency rescue package launched by the UK Government will provide assistance via low-interest loans and grants to rugby union, horse racing, women’s football and the lower tiers of the National League south of the border.
The figures will heap pressure on Scottish Government to step-in and support Scottish clubs
Rugby League, motorsport, tennis, netball, basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing are also in line to benefit.
Last month, Scottish Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick held talks with UK counterpart Nigel Huddleston over a bail-out package, with sport north of the border expected to benefit from Barnett consequentials.
In a statement released to Sportsmail, however, the UK Department of Culture Media and Sport say the devolved administrations have been provided with an upfront guarantee of £16billion over and above their spring budget to cope with the effects of Covid-19.
And, with sport a devolved issue, Westminster expects the Holyrood government to provide emergency relief for sporting bodies who have been enacting drastic cuts since the loss of gate income.
Aberdeen have announced they expect to lose £5m this year after as their fans remain barred
Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has already warned of drastic cuts ahead unless government and football agrees on a plan to help clubs weather a growing winter storm.
Announcing a loss of £2.9m for this season – and a projected loss of £5m in the current financial year – Cormack said: ‘We’re not looking for handouts. We’re looking for a plan.
‘We’re looking to get together with the Scottish Government and get a plan in place
‘What I would like to see in the plan is to give us 1,000 fans for the next home game then 1,500 and let it graduate from there.’
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