QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Where now for the Scottish game after the decision is taken to enter shutdown?
WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?
The SFA board decided to suspend all professional and grassroots football under their jurisdiction for the foreseeable future in response to the coronavirus situation.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
It signalled the immediate postponement of all SPFL fixtures, starting with last night’s Premiership match between Motherwell and Aberdeen and the Championship game between Queen of the South and Ayr United. There will be no Old Firm match at Ibrox tomorrow.
WHY DID IT HAPPEN?
It was a near-inevitable reaction to a situation changing almost by the hour and brought the Scottish leagues into line with countries across Europe in terms of their response to the crisis.
Yesterday morning, the English Premier League, FA and English Football League announced a suspension of fixtures until at least April 3.
Scotland’s governing bodies had been seeking greater clarity from politicians, following First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s recommendation that events of 500 people or more should not take place from Monday onwards. They had stated on Thursday evening that the weekend matches would go ahead.
However, a decision was taken to immediately call a halt to fixtures after further urgent talks within the SFA and SPFL joint-response group. Confirmation arrived in a statement at 11.35am.
BUT COULDN’T THE GAMES HAVE GONE AHEAD BEHIND CLOSED DOORS?
Not really, no. PFA Scotland had made clear their opposition to that scenario. The players union insisted it would represent an unnecessary danger to their members’ health as the coronavirus continues to spread. ‘There had been some suggestions of playing games behind closed doors, but last night I informed the SPFL of our management committee’s position that if the supporters are not allowed in, our members should not be asked to put their health and safety at risk by playing games behind closed doors,’ said PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart.
‘Player safety must be treated the same as that of supporters and the wider population.
‘The virus is transmitted via touch and bodily fluids and even behind closed doors, players would have been at risk, given football is a contact sport and players would come into contact with others’ sweat. This would have been unacceptable and I am glad the authorities considered this in their decision making.’
SFA counterpart Ian Maxwell confirmed the ‘health and safety of players, match officials and staff across the game’ was a key consideration in going for an indefinite shutdown.
OKAY, WHAT ABOUT THE SECOND LEG OF RANGERS v BAYER LEVERKUSEN?
That was supposed to be played behind closed doors in Germany next Thursday evening but UEFA announced yesterday morning that it was postponing all Champions League and Europa League fixtures. The draws for the quarter-finals of both competitions were also suspended.
Rangers said in a statement that the club ‘fully agreed’ with the reasons behind the decision taken by UEFA — and those taken at home by the SPFL and SFA.
SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
A good question as no one is sure. This is uncharted territory.
The next significant step could arrive on Tuesday when UEFA hosts a videoconference with all 55 of its member associations. The boards of the European Club Association and the European Leagues will also be involved, as will a representative of FIFPro (the world players’ union).
WHY MIGHT THAT MATTER TO SCOTTISH FOOTBALL?
Because it could offer greater clarity in terms of the timescales and options available. Sources close to the negotiations have said that every option is on the table.
Those will include the postponement of Euro 2020 for a year. That would open up potential breathing space in terms of extending league seasons beyond their scheduled finish dates, but could be tricky because the women’s European Championships and FIFA’s new-look Club World Cup are already pencilled in next summer.
Whatever happens, no one knows quite when football will be able to resume.
BUT WHAT ABOUT SCOTLAND’S EURO 2020 PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL AGAINST ISRAEL AT HAMPDEN?
Postponing the finals would give plenty of time for the play-offs to be rearranged.
Playing the game behind closed doors, if even possible, would be a significant financial blow to the SFA, given it was a sell-out.
Scotland will meet either Norway or Serbia if they progress. The Norwegians have said they do not expect their semi-final to take place on March 26.
Last night, FIFA recommended that ‘all international matches previously scheduled to take place in March and April should now be postponed until such time that they can take place in a safe and secure environment, both for players and the general public’.
BACK TO DOMESTIC FOOTBALL, WHAT HAPPENS IF THE SEASON CAN’T BE FINISHED?
Another good question. Again, it is too early for any clear answers.
Sportsmail has previously reported about some of the options being considered by the SFA and SPFL joint-response group, but the situation remains fluid and could be influenced by the UEFA meeting.
As it stands, there is thought to be no appetite for the season being declared null and void.
Playing games behind closed doors looks off the table for now. Extending the season may be possible, but would come with complexities in relation to player contracts and other issues.
One final, last-resort option would be to call the outcomes based on current positions. That would inevitably create a storm of controversy and give rise to possible legal challenges.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon said yesterday that his side must be crowned champions if the campaign cannot be concluded.
They currently have a 13-point lead over Rangers, who have a game in hand.
At the other end of the table, Hearts could face automatic relegation under such a scenario. Boss Daniel Stendel has called for a ‘fair’ solution. It could get extremely messy.
WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR SCOTTISH CLUBS?
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has admitted that no games could lead to ‘dire consequences’ for teams across Scotland, with there being no cash held in reserve for use in a crisis like this.
A recent UEFA report stated that 43 per cent of Scottish Premiership income was made up of gate receipts in 2018.
Former Hearts and Dundee United managing director David Southern said it is not impossible that clubs could go bust.
He said: ‘No one can deny that the cash strain that certain clubs will face will be quite severe.
‘There will be directors in boardrooms now stripping out cash that may have been projected from next Monday. You have no income coming in but have a number of fixed costs.
‘Could clubs go to the wall? I hope not. But the longer it goes on, the more it becomes a possibility.
‘Most Scottish clubs are owned and run by business people and supporters that have the good of the club at heart.
‘You’ll probably find that some of the reasons that directors are sweating at the moment is because they’ll have to dig even deeper into their own pockets to subsidise shortfalls in cash.’