Struggling Scottish sides have been handed a cash boost with SPFL cash landing in club coffers – but they still face a sweat over final prize money.
The game has been put on ice amid the Covid 19 outbreak with several teams setting off alarm bells over fears over long-term funding.
But the bank accounts have been bolstered after league chiefs began issuing the scheduled payments.
Premiership top three Celtic, Rangers and Motherwell have been send funds of £375,000 plus VAT, with the rest of the top flight pocketing cheques for £157,000 plus VAT.
The cash flow drops down the divisions with Championship sides getting just £26,000 plus VAT, with League One clubs landing £2700 plus VAT and bottom tier sides picking up £1300 plus VAT.
But there is still no decision regarding the fate of the current season – with prize money at stake for all the sides.
League chiefs are in discussions with the clubs and with UEFA and there is still hope the campaign can be completed once the crisis is over.
There are no guarantees however, and there are fears football could be in cold storage until July or August.
Euro bosses could step in and make a blanket call across the continent but are reluctant to spark a raft of legal disputes with promotions and relegations all to be decided across the divisions.
A decision is not expected to be rushed and the SPFL are waiting to see the effects of the government shutdown on the spread of the killer disease.
Clubs will be forced to wait for prize cash but the league could make short term payments down the line as sides begin to feel the pinch.
Hearts have already made moves to slash costs by calling on staff to take 50 percent pay cuts while Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has warned fans the Dons are going to be hit hard by the lockdown.
In the Championship Inverness Caley Thistle have made a move for staff earning more than £24,000 to operate on 80 percent pay until they can apply the government’s jobs retention scheme and then top up the earnings back to 100 percent.
Down the divisions several sides have been proactive, with Dumbarton players agreeing to a temporary drop, while Elgin City have also made similar arrangements.
In England, Leeds United stars have deferred wages, while La Liga giants Barcelona are in talks over slashing their huge earners’ pay packets by up to 70 per cent.
Bundesliga big guns Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig and Bayern Leverkusen – who have put their Europa League clash with Rangers on hold – have all pledged £18.5m to support fellow German clubs.
