Rangers must agree to one term before receiving prize money

The SPFL must force the Rangers to make one commitment before any money is paid out to them.

Well, what an end to end statement shambles over the weekend. Let’s not get into who said what about someone else, who voted, who didn’t, who sent votes that didn’t arrive and so on. There’s plenty of coverage of all that everywhere. Facts, theories, conspiracies, you name it, it’s out there. And some of it from the officials involved too.

How will it all end? Well, most likely with Celtic as champions but between now and then, lots could happen. Clearly most clubs would welcome an injection of money now, right now in fact. How we get to that is the question.

Is there a very simple circle of life in Scottish football that needs to be broken to unlock all this? Clubs want money, prize money for places is available. Maybe loans or advances of prize money could be available.

Let’s assume that one way or another the prize money is going to be paid or advanced/loaned.

First, many would believe it to be essential to rule out a null and void scenario for the leagues. If null and void happens then it’s quite possible there’d be no prize money, and possible default payments would be owed back from clubs and leagues for a season that never happened. How could you have prize money for places in a null and void league?

A null and void position could likely be ruled out either by an agreement not to have that as an option, or by reaching an agreement on how the league ends. The latter seems more practical, if such an agreement can be reached.

That season end agreement could either be final and applied now, as was proposed in the resolution the clubs voted on. Or, it could perhaps be an agreement for how it ends at a future date if there is no opportunity to play the remaining games.

But either way it’s an agreement which would have to decide on final positions if no more games are played. You can’t agree a season end without that. An agreement could possibly leave a door open for further discussion on relaxation/promotions beyond the final positions.

Null and void is ruled out, an option to play final games remains, closing positions are agreed if those games can’t be played. Prize money could be paid. It doesn’t solve the difficulty of taking decisions on promotions and relegations.

But those are decisions which can’t be avoided and have to be taken, at some point, sooner or later. It could buy time to have those further discussions which may well involve league restructure.

We’re already wondering when football can start again, to continue this season or to start the next. Some rumours are circling to question if we will see any games in front of fans in 2020 at all. It’s becoming increasingly important to start planning for next season which is difficult to do without closure on this season.

For many clubs survival is the biggest concern. Without payment of money soon it seems some clubs won’t be able to survive long enough to play a part in discussions for this season never mind next.