STAY AWAY GAME
Premiership football is back on August 1 but fans are warned to avoid stadia
THE countdown to the Scottish Premiership kick-off is on but all matches will be played behind closed doors as fans were warned: “Stay away”.
The Scottish Government announced football would be able to re-start on August 1 - three weeks today - but no fans will be allowed in stadia. It has approved plans to ensure suitable public health and safety measures are in place so long as Scotland e like zombie continues to suppress the Covid-19 virus. An SPFL spokesman said: “Today’s announcement from the First Minister on the resumption of games from August 1 is tremendously positive news.
“Players, officials and millions of Scottish football fans worldwide are all desperate for matches to resume and everyone is working hard to make sure that happens safely. “However, it’s vital that supporters comply with the strict guidelines drawn up by health professionals, police and clubs to stay completely away from stadia during matches.
“Gatherings outside grounds would be a recipe for disaster and would undermine the huge amount of careful work which has been done in recent months to get our game up and running again.” Pre-season training for professional clubs can resume with immediate effect. And friendly matches can be arranged before the campaign begins in earnest. But players must undergo
weekly testing from Monday. However, the Scottish Premiership is the only domestic league due to return next month. Championship, League One and League Two clubs have voted to delay resuming games until October.
Before lockdown, the Scottish Government said fears over crowds gathering outside grounds meant they did not recommend allowing matches to proceed behind closed doors. However, yesterday First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “At the outset, it wouldn’t necessarily resolve the issues of this pandemic because fans, at that stage, may still have come together.
“But some of these judgements change just because we are at a different phase. That was a point we were going into lockdown, this is a point we are coming out of lockdown and if we don’t allow sport to start up behind closed doors then we are not doing it at all, because it is not safe to have crowds of spectators in to see a football or rugby match.”
She could not give a date for fans to be allowed into grounds but said: “I wouldn’t expect it anytime soon.”
But she said: “I hope the announcement today for football - and for rugby - that behind closed doors matches can get under way is welcome.”
Scottish Clinical Director Jason Leitch said: “We have learned a lot from other professional leagues opening around Europe - including the English Premiership but also La Liga and the Bundesliga - and crowds there haven’t gathered around these stadia.
“But the danger does worry us a little bit and we will be in touch with police about how to manage that and that will be done the way Police Scotland always do it, in a very balanced and friendly way if they possibly can, but with enforcement if that is absolutely required.”
He warned: “Scotland is ready for this ... but it is not guaranreed and if the virus goes in a certain direction or if behaviour goes in a certain direction, there is always a reverse gear.”
Leitch said that, like the English, Spanish and German leagues, Scottish matches will be televised.