No football in front of fans ‘any time soon’ says First Minister
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.
Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK.
28/02/2020.
Pic shows: Hibs comfortably beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle by 5 goals to 2 to in the quarter final of the Scottish Cup at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh.
Credit: Ian Jacobs
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.”