Hopes that SPFL season 2019/20 could be played to a finish were dealt a blow today when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stated that Scottish football should not expect to hold matches in front of fans “any time soon” whilst the prospect of playing behind closed doors needed to be “very carefully considered”.
All football in the country has been suspended since March 13 and most top-flight clubs in the country have played 30-games.
The SPFL had left the door open to complete the top-flight fixtures but today’s announcement looks likely to mean that the league will be called with Celtic declared champions and Hearts subject to relegation unless a sufficient number of clubs agree to reconstruction.
Speaking at her daily briefing she said: “People should not be under the expectation that large-scale, mass gatherings will be starting anytime soon because we must make sure we are doing everything we can to continue to suppress this virus.
“Some form of social distancing is going to be required up to the point that a vaccine is available.”
When asked about the possibility of playing games behind closed doors she responded: “We have to consider if that completely takes away the risk. If a match is still on TV, the danger is people will congregate together to watch. What I will say is they will be very carefully considered and we’ll share as much of that as we can.
“I know that is not good news for people who have sport as a really important part of their lives but it would be wrong for me to give false expectation about an early resumption of large-scale sporting events.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
