No football lockdown as virus task force set up
SCOTTISH football has no immediate plans to shut its doors to fans despite setting up a coronavirus task force yesterday.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell and his SPFL counterpart Neil Doncaster have been placed in charge of a response group which
has been scrambled with the government warning the killer disease is about to hit the country.
First minister Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland is bracing itself for a “significant outbreak” after chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood warned that “peak” infection rate could be up to 80 per cent of the population across
Scotland – and estimated that up to 250,000 people could face a hospital admission.
But Record Sport can reveal there have been no discussions about a potential lockdown of Scottish football, even though countries in Europe have acted to postpone top-flight matches or play them behind closed doors.
It’s understood any such drastic action would only be taken if the football authorities receive instructions to do so either by Holyrood or No.10.
But yesterday’s announcement that Maxwell and Doncaster are to head up a specific new unit is an indication of how serious the situation could become.
The group will also include the SFA’s medical consultant Dr John MacLean. A statement said: “It will have jurisdiction to consider implications for all professional domestic fixtures.
“At its first formal discussion, the group has committed to a joint approach to ensure consistent and co-ordinated messaging to supporters, clubs, players, officials and staff affected by the escalation of the outbreak.”