The time SPFL are taking to punish Saints is just crazy
Gilmour says Buddies are being hung out to dry over virus probe
FORMER St Mirren chairman Stewart Gilmour has accused the SPFL of hanging the Buddies out to dry over their coronavirus disciplinary hearing.
Saints are still in the dark over any potential sanctions three weeks after the proceedings into alleged Covid- 19 breaches that caused two top-flight games to be postponed.
Record Sport understands a decision won’t be made until the end of this week or even early next with SPFL chiefs waiting on the independent panel who heard the case to return their findings.
But St Mirren, who were expecting to learn their fate by the end of November, were last night still sweating over potential punishments, the most severe of which could yet see the matches forfeited.
Gilmour slammed the “crazy” situation insisting the club have no case to answer.
He said: “Everyone at St Mirren will be extremely anxious about this.
“The time it’s taken is crazy and it’s unfair on Jim Goodwin and the playing staff in particular.
“I know from speaking to people at the club they did everything they were asked to do – as diligently as possible – and they would be really disappointed if anything comes from it.
“Clubs are doing everything they can and for the league to not be supporting them – and in this case leaving them hung out to dry – is unbelievable.
“Football has worked really hard at trying to contain the spread of Covid-19. To single anyone out – unless they’ve done something stupid, which I’m told St Mirren have not – then I don’t think there’s a case to answer.”
The governing body launched a probe into the Paisley side’s protocols after matches against Motherwell and Hamilton had to be postponed. In both instances St Mirren told the SPFL they were unable to field a team.
A two-day hearing ended on November 11 at which time Saints bosses said they had “defended their position robustly”. Kilmarnock are waiting to discover their fate over a similar hearing into circumstances surrounding their match with Motherwell being postponed when their entire first team was put into self-isolation. But Killie’s case only finished last week.
St Mirren have been hammered by the virus. In September they were forced to sign Hearts keeper Bobby Zlamal on an emergency loan after all three of their top-team goalkeepers were forced to isolate.
Gilmour added: “It’s impossible to ensure all your players are OK. They’re going home to their families. Their kids are going to school. I just don’t see how any club could be held responsible in this situation.
“It’s different if one of your players is caught in a pub or at a party or travels abroad.
“There were a couple of cases where players were a bit stupid early on in the season but I think that’s been a lesson to everyone else that they just can’t do anything out of the ordinary.
“Basically players are going to training, being tested, going home to their family and coming back the next day. Footballers are pretty well known so if anyone is breaking any rules there’s always going to be someone who sees them.
“It’s a difficult situation. We’re all taking our own risk assessments – where you put yourself, who you speak to, who you’re in company with and we’re all having to do it.
“Football players will pick it up like anyone else through family members, particularly those with kids at school. There’s no way round that.”