East Fife claim that a dispute with Scottish Football Association over £15,000 could put them out of business, with the governing body refusing to hand over an annual winter payment. The SFA are pursuing the Methil club for legal fees incurred during a court case between the two over the suspension of former player Kevin Fotheringham and have withheld their handout until the problem is resolved.

Fotheringham was banned for eight games in 2008 for racially abusing Stranraer’s Gregory Tade. The player then took the case to the Court of Session – backed by his club – racking up bills of around £20,000 on the appeal, which were picked up by East Fife.

With the SFA successful in their defence however, they are now demanding their legal costs from the Fifers and have told the Second Division club in a letter that they won’t be getting their winter payment.

East Fife haven’t played a home game since December 5 because of weather-enforced postponements and are struggling to make ends meet because of the resulting lost revenue.

Club director Sid Collumbine says that he has had to take the row with the SFA away from the club and into the hands of his lawyer to stop them going out of business and says that if East Fife are forced to pay the five figure sum on top of their current woes, they could go bust.

"The matter's now in the hands of my personal lawyer because the club can't afford any more legal bills,” Collumbine told the Daily Record. “But if we're forced to pay up £15,000 it could see us go bust.

"We're £180,000 down on the year already because of lost sponsorship and payments to players that had to be made. It's been a bad financial year and it's a disgrace the SFA are pursuing us in this way. If we don't get the winter payment that's going to have an immediate effect on the club.

"We've not been able to play and bring in revenue because of the weather so there's been a cash flow problem. We're under financial pressure but the SFA are telling us we won't get money from funds available to tide us over."

East Fife and Collumbine have insisted throughout that Fotheringham raised his appeals on his own, with the club helping with his legal fees. His initial appeal to the governing body was turned down in August 2008, leading to him pushing for a judicial review.

The SFA claim that the action was raised by the club and not the player, leaving them responsible financially in the aftermath, with their president George Peat warning that the league management committee will chase East Fife for legal costs and expenses.

Collumbine has passed that argument onto his lawyers, retorting: "I've asked my lawyer to investigate the matter and arranged a meeting for next week. But my worry is the club could go out of business if we're forced to find this money."