'No club can survive six-to-nine months of this' - Aberdeen's Dave Cormack

Image source, SNS Group

Image caption, Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack is warning that his club is facing major losses
  • Author, Jonathan Sutherland
  • Role, 大象传媒 Scotland

All Scottish football clubs face a fight to stay in business if the coronavirus pandemic leads to a lengthy shutdown, says Aberdeen's Dave Cormack.

Chairman Cormack revealed earlier on Monday the Dons have "拢5m of outgoings with no expected income" with football currently suspended.

"It's important we all waken up," he told 大象传媒 Scotland.

"I've had calls, emails, texts from the great and good of Scottish football thanking me for putting this out."

There is currently no indication of when football in Europe will resume. Uefa are hopeful Scotland's European Championship play-off semi-final with Israel will take place in June, though the Scottish FA are sceptical.

The government has pledged to pay 80% of salary for staff unable to work, covering wages of up to 拢2,500 a month but it is not yet clear how this will impact on football.

"I don't believe there is any club in Scotland - and I mean any club in Scotland - that can survive six-to-nine months of this," Cormack said.

"And I don't wish to be scaremongering but we are budgeting for this to be fully three-to-six months.

"What we are doing as a club is collaborating - manager Derek McInnes, the players, myself, captain Joe Lewis, the off-field team - we are all working on this together and we as a team will come up with a solution that ensures the survival of Aberdeen Football Club.

"That's our goal and that's our plan."