Scottish football clubs to hold emergency meetings to discuss coronavirus issues
- Published
SPFL chief executive, Neil Doncaster, is part of the Joint Response Group which will determine the fate of the Scottish football season
Scottish clubs will discuss the financial impact of football's shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak in a series of conference call meetings.
Some are in favour of ending the current campaign, with final-place monies being distributed.
However, it is unknown if sponsors and TV companies will be willing to pay out the full amounts at this time.
The potential for league reconstruction is on the agenda, with the possibility of expanding the top flight.
One option, which appears to have widespread support, is moving to three leagues of 14 from the current 12-10-10-10 set up, but any change would require 75% of clubs to vote in favour.
Hampden will host meetings on Thursday, with club representatives able to dial in and air their views.
The first meeting is due to start mid morning with administrative members of the SPFL in place at the home of Scottish football.
Senior figures in Scottish football will scrutinise the Coronavirus White Paper before deciding the way forward.
The Coronavirus Bill, which will contain emergency powers, is expected to be fast-tracked through Parliament next week.
With the season paused due to the outbreak, some clubs find themselves in a precarious financial situation - with Hearts asking players and staff to take a wage cut of 50% due to the financial impact and the authorities announcing £1.5m of funding for struggling clubs.
Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers have already appealed to their supporters for donations, with many other clubs internally discussing survival plans.
Cowdenbeath finance director David Allan has told BBC Scotland it is impossible to sell season tickets for next term given the uncertainty about when football will resume.
The chief executives of the Scottish FA and SPFL, Ian Maxwell and Neil Doncaster, spoke on Wednesday in the daily Joint Response Group meeting, but any firm announcement on the way forward is not likely this week and will heavily depend on the government legislation.
European governing body Uefa expressed a wish on Tuesday that domestic campaigns come to a close by the end of June, but there is no expectation among the hierarchy of the Scottish game that any professional football can be played before then.
This is despite the fact that Scotland's European championship play-off match against Israel has been provisionally rescheduled for the beginning of June, a move Maxwell described as 'unrealistic'.