Curtain falls on junior season

TAYSIDE junior clubs have received the news that they didn’t really want as the management committee of the SJFA called an end to the 2020/21 season.

SJFA chief operating officer Alex McDowall said: “Following the update from the Scottish Government stating that adult contact training/football will not be allowed until May 17, the management committee of the Scottish Junior FA has decided to end season 2020-21 and declare all competitions null and void.”

Mr McDowall, who took the position following the retirement of general secretary Tom Johnston, added: “We can now set our sights on moving forward and hopefully welcoming fans back at some point in the new season.

“This decision gives us all some clarity and the opportunity to look at starting next season a bit earlier than normal.

“Further details will be announced in due course.”

MANCHESTER City’s quest for a maiden Champions League title will continue with a quarter-final tie against Borussia Dortmund.

The premier European club competition is the big prize missing from Pep Guardiola’s reign at City, having never got past the semi-finals, and they have been handed another German assignment after beating Borussia Monchengladbach in the last 16.

But a tough route to the Istanbul final lies ahead as if they can get past Dortmund, with the first leg at the Etihad Stadium, since either Bayern Munich or Paris St Germain will be waiting in the last four.

The defending champions will face Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG in a repeat of last season’s final.

Liverpool – winners in 2019 – have been handed a tough tie against 13-time European champions Real Madrid.

The Reds, who lost the 2018 final to Los Blancos, must visit the Bernabeu in the first leg, where they lost 1-0 in a group game seven years ago.

Chelsea appear to have been handed a favourable quarter-final draw against Portuguese side Porto.

Thomas Tuchel’s men got past Atletico Madrid 3-0 on aggregate in the last round and will be heavy favourites to overcome the 2004 champions, despite them beating Juventus in the last 16.

If both English clubs progress, they will meet in another instalment of their fierce Champions League rivalry.

Chelsea and Liverpool previously met in the last four in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08 and also in the 2008-09 quarter-finals.

The quarter-finals will be played over the weeks of April 6-7 and April 13-14 while the last four will be played on April 27-28 and May 4-5.

Manchester United and Arsenal are on course to meet in the Europa League Final after being kept apart in yesterday’s quarter and semi-final draws.

United, who won the competition in 2016, have been drawn against Granada in the last eight, while Arsenal will face Slavia Prague.

United’s reward for beating AC Milan in the last 16 is a tie against the Spanish side, who are enjoying their first taste of European football, with the first leg to be played away from home.

Arsenal will be at home in the first leg against Slavia, who have beaten Leicester and Rangers in the last two rounds.

If Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men avoid an upset against Granada they will face Ajax or Roma in the last four. They last met Ajax in the final of the competition in 2016, winning 2-0 under Jose Mourinho.

The Gunners, should they progress, will play either Dinamo Zagreb or Villarreal in the semi-finals.

Dinamo pulled off a famous upset by beating Tottenham in the last 16, coming back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to triumph in extra-time, while Villarreal are managed by former Gunners boss Unai Emery.

The final, which could therefore be an all-English affair, will take place in Gdansk on May 26.