Clubs hold shutdown crisis talks

LOWER-LEAGUE clubs will voice their shutdown concerns at a summit of all 42 SPFL clubs today. Sportsmail understands that a number of League One and Two chairmen are determined to make their voices heard as member clubs gather virtually for the quarterly general meeting. There is serious concern over

the impact of the three-week suspension of play for all leagues below the Championship, which has also knocked this weekend’s Scottish Cup ties off the calendar.

Several chairmen and owners are convinced they have been used as pawns in a political g a me between t he SFA a nd t he Scotti s h Government after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged Hampden chiefs to look into Celtic’s trip to Dubai.

And clubs i n the bottom two tiers fear the lockdown will be extended indefinitely, with predictions from politicians and vague reassurances from the footballing authorities offering little comfort.

Stenhousemuir chairman Iain McMenemy is one of a number of lower-league chairmen furious with the decision.

He told the BBC: ‘History tells us when that the First Minister is angry with Scottish football and calls for action, their go-to is to look down the leagues and sacrifice us.

‘We’ve been let down by the Scottish football authorities. They’ve given us over as a sacrifice to appease an angry Scottish government because of problems that have happened elsewhere.

‘What happens if we don’t start in three weeks and they declare us null and void? What happens with promotion and relegation?

‘ I will be raising a number of points and wanting to know how t hi s decision was reached and why they felt it was appropriate to reach that decision without engaging with any of us.’