CLUBS MUST GET SUPPORT IF FANS NOT BACK SOON
Dunfermline chairman Ross McArthur is clinging to the hope a coronavirus vaccine can help save Scottish football.
But he fears it may come too late for endangered clubs this season.
The Pars announced a small profit for the 12 months to May this year, despite the Covid financial fallout.
The Fifers have since agreed a six-figure sum for selling Kevin Nisbet to Hibs and attracted “significant investment” from a German consortium who have the option of completing a takeover by May 2022.
But they still face a huge challenge in making ends meet while supporters are banned from attending matches.
McArthur is a board member on the SPFL, whose chief executive Nei l Doncaster ramped up the pressure on the Scottish Government this week when he claimed “failure to get fans back in the very near future will sound the death knell for some of our best-loved clubs”.
But the Dunfermline chief said: “We’re obviously now looking at different assumptions than we were at the start of the season because it’s not looking good in terms of getting the crowds back.
“We either need to get crowds back or some form of support – because it’s going to be very challenging for football clubs, not just without crowds but hospitality, private parties and so on.
“At the moment all we’re doing is preparing ourselves for an event – a home game – every two weeks at the same time as carrying a huge overhead.
“The one positive that’s come out in the last few weeks is that there are maybe two or three options in terms of vaccines.
“But how that translates to actually getting mass events back remains to be seen.
“You’d be silly not to have at the back of your mind the possibility that this season will pass by without any crowds.
“You’re hopeful but it’s maybe hope more than expectation. You’d be foolish not to think that it might come too late for this season. Who knows?
“So we’ve rebased our budget on pretty much the worst-case scenario and it’s definitely going to be a challenge.”