DOOMSDAY SCENARIO
SPFL chiefs to decide winners and losers if virus scuppers season
THE SPFL are prepared to crown Celtic as Premiership champions if the coronavirus brings the season to a premature conclusion.
Relegation to the Championship could also be settled by league chiefs after fears of the current campaign being declared null and void were dismissed out of hand.
Neil Doncaster, the SPFL chief executive, warned of ‘dire financial consequences’ if the virus impacts on even one dressing room.
With Celtic 13 points clear in the race for nine-in-a-row and a relegation battle in full swing, however, a joint SFA and SPFL response group has written to clubs telling them there is ‘no rationale’ for closing or cancelling sporting events.
Sources have told Sportsmail they can see no circumstances in which the Premiership will not be played to a conclusion — with behind-closed-door games and plans to declare the title, promotion and relegation issues the options of last resort.
Last night, an SPFL spokesperson said: ‘Currently, our prime focus is to fulfil the
fixture list and ensure clubs and fans have all the relevant, official guidance and information.
‘Given the fast-moving nature of the situation, it’s too early to speculate on a range of potential outcomes. We will communicate with fans and clubs regularly to ensure they are kept up to date.’
Sources moved to make it clear that the key issues will be resolved one way or another after Doncaster acknowledged that completing the SPFL season would be ‘very difficult’ if the coronavirus infected just one dressing room.
The number of Scots who have fallen victim to the virus doubled yesterday with six cases now confirmed — taking the number of positive tests in the UK to 116.
The UK also announced its first coronavirus fatality last night, believed to be a woman in her 70s who died in a hospital in Reading.
‘We are taking a pragmatic approach to the current situation and have alerted our members to the fact that, if the outbreak affects the first team of even one SPFL club, it could make completing the SPFL season very difficult,’ said Doncaster. ‘Firstteam players and staff should be extremely vigilant.
‘Whilst the current, clear advice is that matches should proceed as scheduled, we will prepare for contingencies where matches might have to be played behind closed doors, or even be cancelled, as we have already seen with other major sporting events.
‘With that in mind, we have alerted the Scottish government to the dire financial consequences facing clubs if the current situation changes and clubs are unable to generate revenue from ticket sales.’
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell added: ‘Together with our colleagues at the SPFL, we have written to our members to underline that we will do everything possible to complete fixtures, whilst taking fully on board the Government’s expert advice and the guidance of our Medical Consultant, Dr John MacLean.
‘We have also advised our clubs of the absolute necessity of following hygiene practice at stadiums, training grounds and other premises, as well as providing information to staff, fans, contractors, broadcasters and other media entering club premises.’
Fears over the virus forced Scotland manager Steve Clarke and SFA vice-president Mike Mulraney to cancel plans to fly to the Nations League draw in Amsterdam on Monday. With a Euro 2020 play-off against Israel this month, Clarke has been told to stay close to home and avoid unnecessary travel.
Reports of the game being played behind closed doors have been played down but Israel’s plans have already been disrupted by claims boss Andreas Herzog could be forced to spend two weeks in isolation if he returns to the country. Austrian Herzog attended the Nations League draw in the Dutch capital this week and returned to his home in Vienna.
The Israeli government this week announced that any Austrians who enter Israel would have to go on a 14-day self-isolation period because it is on a list of countries badly affected by the virus.
‘I don’t know what will happen now,’ said Herzog. ‘We have to see how we proceed. I am due to return to Israel on Monday.
‘I cannot be quarantined for two weeks. I want to have the best possible preparation for the game against Scotland and two weeks of self-isolation is anything but ideal.’
The highest-profile case of the disease spreading to football came in Denmark yesterday when it was confirmed that former international Thomas Kahlenberg, who represented the nation at the 2010 World Cup, has tested positive and has been put in quarantine after a recent trip to Amsterdam.
He attended the match between his old club Brondby and Lyngby on Sunday and the Copenhagenbased team confirmed that 13 players and staff have been placed in home quarantine.
Lyngby said three of their players who had been ‘in contact’ with Kahlenberg have been sent home and placed into quarantine.
Italy is the European country most affected, with more than 3,000 people infected — which includes over 100 deaths. Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Juventus, says containing the outbreak of the coronavirus is at the forefront of every club’s mind in Italy, with economic effects coming secondary.
The Italian government has ruled that all sporting events in the country would not be open to the public until April 3 in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
Speaking at the FT Business for Football summit, Agnelli said: ‘The phase we are in with spread of Covid-19, public health is paramount and the objective of everyone is to contain the virus as much as possible.
‘Our position as a club has been clear. We have to take the line of the scientific community of what should and should not be done, then it’s the role of the authorities to come out with the correct pieces of law and sporting authorities must follow suit.
‘We must behave responsibly. The economic effects of such responsible action should and will come second. From there on, it is not for clubs to decide what should be done, our responsibility is to follow what the authorities have told us in the interest of public health.’
In England, the Premier League last night announced that pre-match handshakes between clubs and officials will not take place until further notice from this weekend.
A statement read: ‘The Premier League fair-play handshake will not take place between players and match officials from this weekend until further notice based on medical advice.’