After the war of words over the Celtic Dubai debacle, Dundee United chief executive Tony Asghar has provided a worrying view on government perception of football.
A report this month outlined that Scottish clubs were furious over the lack of speed or clarity in how to access the Scottish Government’s £20million grant for the sport [Daily Record].
Meanwhile, tensions between government and football have continued to grow elsewhere. Celtic got locked into a war of words with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over the recent trip to Dubai [Scottish Sun].
And now United chief exec Asghar has let rip at the different ways government looks at football and rugby. Speaking on Dundee United TV, Asghar said the following:
“Clubs like ourselves, Hamilton and Motherwell, need money to fulfill their needs because we don’t have any income coming from supporters. Without this getting into a party political broadcast, I do think we as a football nation have been cast aside.
“I’ve been in meetings with the government when they’ve talked about football clubs…they’re effectively thinking working-class males who come to the football, drink beer, that maybe shout abuse and maybe get a fight later on at night and that’s what they think of Scottish football.
“This is my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
“They look at rugby, for example, as a game for well-educated people who come and get a few glasses of wine and watch it and don’t swear, and they’ve given them grants.”
Celtic in Dubai won’t have helped, but government needs to back Scottish football further
The lack of purpose from the government to aid Scottish football isn’t impressive. There’s a grant available to Premiership clubs, but it hasn’t struck their bank accounts yet. Therefore, it’s no use.
Too often is the game in Scotland treated with disdain or as an inconvenience to the government. We’re talking about a £200m economy booster here [The Times].
Yet it does feel as though government can at times be too proud of how dismissive it is of the nation’s favourite sport. Football can’t be used as a political tool. Too many clubs have been robbed of key finances due to a lack of fans in the gates.
This is a serious issue that still hasn’t really been rectified. All clubs will lose money during the pandemic and that’s fine – you expect that given the situation globally.
But let’s not pretend the government has raced into help. And it’s no wonder many Scottish football figures are beginning to get frustrated. There’s a lack of urgency in how those who lead the country have dealt with football’s financial issues.
There’s one thing we can be certain of during this pandemic. The relationship between government and football certainly hasn’t strengthened.
In other news, an early-morning report has provided Celtic fans with a frustrating update on Neil Lennon.
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