Neil Doncaster has pleaded with Nicola Sturgeon not to shut Scottish football down in the event of another Covid-19 rule break.
And, in an exclusive interview with Record Sport, the SPFL chief executive warned that one more government issued postponement could have catastrophic financial consequences across the game which could force a number of our leading clubs out of existence.
Relationships between Hampden’s sixth floor and Holyrood have been strained since the high profile protocol breaches involving the Aberdeen Eight and Celtic full-back Boli Bolingoli - with the First Minister stressing that the professional game could be placed on pause if there are any further cases of non compliance.
As part of a behind the scenes plea bargain deal to avoid having the plug pulled on two complete rounds of top flight fixtures four matches involving Aberdeen and Celtic have already been postponed and must now be crammed into a schedule which is already at bursting point.
And Doncaster now insists any further punitive strikes could endanger the entire league season - shattering the new £30m a year broadcast deal with Sky TV and plunging all of Scotland’s 42 clubs into financial meltdown.
He said: “There is a very real possibility, were the Scottish government to decide to close down the entire league for any length of time - based on a very, very small number of infringements - that a number of our clubs will go under.
“This is not scare mongering - it’s real. Covid-19 has already wreaked havoc on the finances of the game and a lot of our clubs are in a very precarious position already.
“So any future government action really must be very carefully considered but also entirely proportionate. In my view it would be unjustifiable to shut down the league over a few isolated transgressions.
“It’s not just an issue for the top flight clubs it’s all 42 clubs across the country. They are all dependent on the money they get from the league, to a greater or lesser extent, and that is largely based upon the TV money that comes in from the Premiership.
“But all 42 clubs benefit from the TV money and if we find ourselves in a position where we cannot complete this season then we would have a huge issue, not just with TV revenue but with all revenues.”
