Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has said wage cuts are not inevitable at the club during the coronavirus shutdown – after fans rallied round to support the Dons in their hour of need.
Cormack earlier laid bare the £5 million black hole the Reds are facing due to the indefinite suspension of the season, with the situation worsened by the news business interruption insurance the club has won’t pay out past it’s renewal date at the end of April. Some forecasts are predicting the shutdown could last until September.
However, speaking to the BBC, Cormack said the Red Army’s actions are softening the blow.
He said: “Our goal is to pull all the data together, not make a knee-jerk decision (on wage cuts).
“What we want to do – and we’re working on it right now – is take a view on what the likely position is over the next period, when the league season might start as well and look at our cash position.
“And only then will we take a view as to what, if anything, we will ask of our staff to help us out over this period. But we’re not there yet.
“We’re still pulling the numbers together, calling sponsors, seasonal dining box holders. You’ve seen the fans rally round as well to buy season tickets just now. We need to pull all of that together over the coming week and then take a look at it.”
Cormack went on to say clarity from the SPFL and SFA on how the season will end is crucial. All 42 Scottish clubs are meeting today to try and thrash out the way forward.
The Dons chief continued: “We’re looking for clarity, whether that be on the economic support side or, in our case, the insurance side and when we’re going to start the new season and put a stake in the ground.
“I think a lot of that comes down to Uefa. If Uefa, for example, mandate that all domestic leagues need to be finished by the end of June, that makes the decision fairly easy I think for people.
“None of us can see any games being played by the end of June. Ideally all of us want to play out the season – it’s the right thing to do – but we’re faced with a tough situation.
“On the basis Uefa, who have got to be thinking about the Champions League and Europa League for next season, need to make a decision that domestic leagues have to be finished by a certain stage, I think that’s a more likely catalyst for helping us to all make a call.”