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Dundee are on the brink of releasing Scottish football from coronavirus deadlock by finally giving their backing to the SPFL’s controversial survival plan.

The Dens Park club left the fate of the football season hanging in the balance on Friday night when they failed to register a vote before the 5pm deadline on a proposal to effectively end the season now.

That decision sparked a furious backlash with stricken clubs denied the urgent distribution of prize money - cash which would have been deposited by this morning.

But it also kept the proposed emergency measures alive as Dundee managing director John Nelms had originally been expected to reject the resolution and could have scuppered it completely until a dramatic late change of mind on Friday afternoon.

Had Nelms carried through with his intention then the proposals - which would see Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers crowned champions with Partick Thistle and Stranraer relegated, plus open up the possibility of Celtic being named Premiership champions and Hearts demoted - the league’s plan would have been blocked by a single vote.

But late on Monday Nelms was believed to be on the verge of a completing a shock U-turn by giving his support to the league’s plan.

A close source said: “John has been doing a lot of thinking over these last few days as there are parts of the proposal which he still finds difficult to accept because they are inherently unfair.

“But, at the same time, he also realises there is no easy or completely fair solution to the problems that Covid-19 has created. He is also aware that 85 per cent of the clubs have voted for these measures and some of them are in urgent need of the financial assistance which this plan would provide.

(Image: SNS Group)

“The belief and the expectation now is that he will indeed register Dundee’s vote and that he will back the SPFL’s proposals even though he’s clearly struggling with various aspects.”

Record Sport revealed on Monday that the SPFL board plan urgent talks to draw up a new crisis plan but those talks were placed on hold to give Dundee more time to deliberate with some on Hampden’s sixth floor hopeful that Nelms would get to the ballot box before close of business.

That didn’t happen last night but our source said: “All the indications are that the Dundee vote will be arriving soon and when or if it does then at least the game in this country will be given a bit of clarity.”

Under the proposals the Championship, League One and League Two will be ended with immediate effect with a decision to halt the Premier League expected to follow towards the end of this month when UEFA are expected to relax previous demands for all of Europe’s current domestic top flight campaigns to be played to a completion.