Last updated on .From the section Scottish

The SPFL has warned Scottish clubs there is no pot of money to help them should games have to be played behind closed doors because of coronavirus.

Various competitions across Europe have either had fixtures postponed or played without spectators.

No matches in Scotland have yet been affected but the SPFL warned last week of "dire financial consequences".

The league body has written to clubs "advising them to examine their insurance arrangements".

A statement added: "This is particularly important as the SPFL does not hold reserves. Every single penny of income from sponsorships, broadcast deals and cup revenue is already paid to the clubs as fees."

The SPFL also said it would be guided by instructions from the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, while the Scottish FA says it is continuing to monitor the situation daily.

Wednesday's Scottish Premiership meeting between St Mirren and Hearts went ahead as scheduled, but the Paisley club asked fans suffering from cold or flu-like symptoms not to attend.

The club said it was "imperative we protect the health of all those who attend".

That came on the day when the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK reached 460 and the death total rose to eight as the illness spreads across the world.

SPFL clubs rely heavily on ticket sales, with Uefa's latest benchmark report revealed that 43% of the Scottish top flight's revenue was made up of gate receipts in 2018.

One Premiership club told BBC Scotland they would be forced to rely on the goodwill of fans to not demand refunds should they not be permitted to attended games.

Another top-flight outfit said they had not received clarification as to whether the league body's own insurance would cover any potential compensation claims.

However, Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack said all clubs had to rely on the governing bodies to guide them.

"Clearly, if games are played behind closed doors and you've got less income coming in, that is a concern. If we have a year off, I don't think there'd be too many teams left in Scotland.

"But also, we need to take a deep breath and see where this leads us.

"Everyone's concerned but the guidance we've been given so far, we've followed to the letter - in fact, even more, by trying to isolate our first team," he said.

"It's a concern, but how long is a piece of string? Is this going to be over in a week, two week, two months? We've got to take things as they come."