SFA poised to slash lucrative Scottish Cup cash windfalls to clubs selected for live televised games

  • Cup ties shown live by Sky or BBC Scotland pay £82,500 to each side involved
  • Clubs have voted in large numbers to cut the payment for televised teams
  • The new cash bonus will now fall to £32,500 per team from this campaign  
  • Celtic against the move saying they will lose up to £250,000 per year in revenue

The SFA are poised to slash lucrative Scottish Cup windfalls to clubs picked for live televised games.

Cup ties shown live by Sky or BBC Scotland currently generate payments of £82,500 for each of the sides involved.

The clubs themselves have voted in large numbers to cut the payment for televised teams to £32,500 each from this campaign.

The SFA are poised to slash lucrative Scottish Cup windfalls to clubs picked for live TV games

The SFA are poised to slash lucrative Scottish Cup windfalls to clubs picked for live TV games

Celtic and other Premiership sides are opposed to the move, however, with the Parkhead club facing a potential loss of up to £250,000 a year in broadcasting revenue.

Put forward by the SFA, the new cash arrangement aims to end the lottery of lower league clubs earning more from one live televised game in an early round of the cup than some sides earn from going all the way to the semis.

Payments for coverage of cup ties are designed to compensate clubs for lower crowds caused by featuring live on television.

Celtic lifted the Scottish Cup in May but they fear they will lose out on £250,000 revenue

Celtic lifted the Scottish Cup in May but they fear they will lose out on £250,000 revenue

Last season, League one Albion Rovers hit the jackpot when they landed a sold-out home tie with champions Celtic.

Concerned that clubs like Rovers gain an unfair financial advantage over league rivals at the behest of TV executives, the SFA wrote to member clubs proposing a system where clubs playing live games receive less than half the current sum, with more cash going to clubs who advance to the latter stages.

Sportsmail understands that 90 per cent of the member clubs voted in favour.

Research conducted by the governing body shows that 68 per cent of Scotland’s professional clubs will benefit or suffer no loss from the changes.

Amongst those who fear losing money are cup holders Celtic. Last season all five of their cup games were shown live. Two of the five, against Inverness and St Mirren, were at home and attracted lower-than-average crowds of under 28,000.

Arguing that they create much of the value for broadcasters in showing cup games, Celtic believe they should be compensated for lower crowds when home cup games are screened live. Under the new plans, the Parkhead club could lose up to £250,000 in broadcasting cash a season.

Insisting the new blueprint has broad popular support, however, the SFA believe a new bonus system will see more money going to the clubs who reach the quarter and semi final stages of the competition and remove the element of chance.

‘Some clubs actually wanted more change,’ a source told Sportsmail. ‘Others wanted higher TV payments.

‘The aim of this is to address a system where football finances feel like they are at the whim of TV executives.’

 

SFA set to to slash lucrative Scottish Cup cash windfalls

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