St Mirren and Killie hit hard for Covid breaches

St Mirren and Killie are hammered by the SPFL

THE SPFL have hammered St Mirren and Kilmarnock after both clubs were found guilty of multiple breaches of Covid-19 regulations. The governing body have awarded Motherwell two 3-0 victories in lieu of their postponed matches against Saints and Killie, respectively, while Hamilton also received a 3-0 win after their match against Saints was also called off in the wake of a coronavirus outbreak. The decision by the SPFL left both clubs considering their options, with Kilmarnock releasing a statement late last night outlining their unhappiness and urging the SPFL to update their official guidelines as a ‘matter of urgency’. St Mirren failed to fulfil a league match against Motherwell in October, with a game against Hamilton also cancelled a week later. And, in a written verdict published on the SPFL website, the Paisley club admitted failing to enforce proper social distancing on a bus journey to Dumfries, during meals or in the gymnasium at the club’s Ralston training centre. Players from different households also shared a car en route to training. Kilmarnock’s league game with Motherwell on October 2 was also called off. The SPFL’s disciplinary tribunal found that the Ayrshire club failed to social distance on a bus journey or at a

pre-match meal for an away game. Both clubs were f i ned £ 40,000, suspended until June 30, after separate SPFL tribunals.

Despite admitting to lapses, St Mirren and Kilmarnock argued that their transgressions should bring ‘significantly lower’ penalties than t he s uspended £30,000 f i nes administered to Celtic and Aberdeen when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon famously dealt Scottish football ‘ a yellow card’.

Both clubs i nsisted they were ‘disappointed’ by the verdicts and vowed to review their position — with the Rugby Park side taking legal advice.

‘Kilmarnock Football Club is bitterly disappointed with the outcome of the SPFL disciplinary hearing into the circumstances surrounding the postponement of our match with Motherwell,’ a statement read.

‘Following the hearing, Motherwell have been awarded a 3-0 victory while we have been hit with a £40,000 fine, suspended until June 2021.

‘The club is currently discussing our position with our legal representatives and will make further comment in due course.’

Killie then released a f urther statement, adding: ‘ We feel it is i mperative to outline t o our supporters why we feel so aggrieved by today’s sanctions.

‘In relation to the two issues outlined by the tribunal: the club more than followed what it considered was appropriate, which was the 1m Scottish Government physical distancing guidelines for hospitality venues and in regards to coach travel, the policies and procedures also aligned with what we considered to be Scottish Government protocols. Unfortunately the tribunal did not agree with this interpretation.

‘We feel that Kilmarnock FC and other clubs have been subjected to a sanctions-based approach by the SPFL, which has proved costly, time consuming and caused considerable stress to all involved.

‘As we have seen before, during and since our outbreak, football is not immune to the pandemic and while we have to accept that while the risks can be minimised, there are occasions where transmission will occur without anyone being at fault.

‘In the wake of our case, we believe it is imperative that official guidelines for all SPFL clubs are updated as a matter of urgency.’

St Mirren also released a statement, saying: ‘St Mirren Football Club is disappointed with the outcome of the SPFL disciplinary hearing into the circumstances surrounding our postponed f i xtures against Motherwell and Hamilton.

‘The hearing found St Mirren guilty of breaching protocols and subsequently imposed 3-0 wins to both Motherwell and Hamilton alongside a £40,000 fine, suspended until June 2021.

‘The club will review its position before issuing a further response.’

Meanwhile, an SPFL spokesman said in a statement: ‘The Covid-19 Regulations put in place by the SPFL and the detailed protocols issued by the SPFL-Scottish FA Joint Response Group are intended to enable season 2020-21 to continue with the minimum of disruption and the minimum risk for those players and coaching staff involved.

‘Strict adherence to these regulations and protocols is therefore crucially important in order for season 2020-21 to be completed as scheduled.’