£5MILLION KICK IN THE TEETH
Clubs call for rapid tests to speed up results and cut price
Scottish football chiefs have accused Nicola Sturgeon’s Government of putting their future in jeopardy with a£5million coronavirus testing bill.
Clubs are lobbying to change rules on how players and staff without any symptoms are screened for the killer bug.
Hamilton Accies have said the current regime – which is costing them about £36,000 each month – could force them and other clubs to the wall.
They have called for the introduction of rapid lateral flow tests to be used on players instead of more expensive PCR tests. Both involve swabbing the nose and throat but the lateral f low tests cost a quarter of the price.
The call has been backed their Premiership rivals Livingston.
Accies chief executive Colin McGowan said: “The future of Hamilton Academicals and other clubs could depend on common sense prevailing.
“We’re haemorrhaging about £ 36,000- a-month on testing with a very limited income.
“That will be replicated by all clubs, leading to a bill somewhere in the region of £5million by the end of the season.
“While cost is an important
consideration, it’s not the only one. Rapid tests allow results within 15 minutes but the current system means we might have a player with coronavirus interacting with teammates for a full day before we find out.
“I have a duty of care to all those involved at this club to ensure their safety. I’m not getting any answers as to why the rapid tests can’t be used.
“Yes, we signed-up to use PCR testing but that was at the start of the season when there was no viable alternative. There is now.
“I want to know why the rapid tests are good enough for our doctors and nurses to use but not for our players performing in empty stadiums. It makes little sense.
“Surely the Scot t ish Government has the responsibility to aid us further in this health and financial crisis by authorising and implementing rapid testing.”
Polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) testing is the most common form of testing in the UK. A swab is used to collect a sample from the patient’s tonsils and inside their nose. The test is then sent to a lab for testng.
Lateral flow devices – similar to home pregnacy test kits – give results in 15 minutes and have been used in care home visitor trials and on Scottish students. In England, the kits are used in some NHS hospitals and by local authorities.
They helped clear the backlog of lorry drivers trying to cross the English Channel last month.
However, safety rules drafted by the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Scottish Government dictate clubs must only use PCR tests.
The SPFL and SFA worked together as the Joint Response Group ( JRG) to secure the return of professional football earlier this year, which saw them agree to the measures. Each PCR test
costs about £90. Clubs say the money saved on testing is vital after losing revenue generated from gate receipts.
Hamilton Accies, who were the first club in Scotland to introduce body temperature cameras at their stadium to help fight coronavirus, estimate the bill until the end of the season will be about £ 400,000.
Other clubs are also pressuring the JRG to switch to lateral flow tests. A Livingston spokesman backed McGowan’s calls.
He said: “We’d like to see lateral flow tests used and have been in discussions about it with the SFA. We’re already using them on non-essential staff and besides the cost savings, it’s a quicker way of finding out who has coronavirus.”
Scottish clubs – apart from Aberdeen, Rangers and Livingston – use Hampshirebased Cignpost Diagnostics to carry out the current PCR tests.
The firm also works with the BBC, golf ’s PGA European Tour and Netflix.
Cignpost was previously criticised for how quickly it turned around results. In July, Hibs had to call off a friendly with Ross County after Cignpost was unable to return test results in time. In the same month, a closed- doors friendly between n Rangers and Motherwell was s delayed because neither team m had received their results.
Andy Smith, of the Scottish Foot b a l l Suppor t e r s Association, said: “Clubs have been hit hard by fans not being allowed inside stadiums.
“If football authorities want to help, they would assist the clubs in paying for these tests.
“The SFA got a windfall of around £ 8million to qualify for the Euros, which wasn’texpected.
“We’d like to see that used to support football in this country and that may well ensure clubs’ survival during the pandemic.” A
Cignpost spokeswoman said: “It’s widely accepted that the PCRtPCRtesttiis ththe goldld standardtdd andd most accurate test for Covid-19 levels, evidenced by the fact it is the test the NHS uses.”
McGowan added: “I want to make it clear I’m not having a go at either the SFA or SFPL.
“It’s the Scottish Government which is refusing to budge on this issue of rapid testing. We need it to see sense on this to ensure our clubs survive. Why give loans to businesses such as football clubs that will go to the wall?”
Last month, the Scottish Government approved an emergency sports funding package including £ 20million in loans for the Scott ish Premiership.
A Scott ish Government spokesman said: “Current advice from clinicians about sports is to continue with PCR testing.
“It’s more accurate. We will consider lateral f low testing further as technology improves and more data is available.
“Any suggestion lateral flow tests are safer is entirely wrong, as is the claim the current system increases chances of individuals being exposed to Covid.”
A JRG spokesman said: “The JRG liaises frequently with clubs and the Scottish Government to ensure football continues to take place in accordance with all agreed protocols and procedures.
I want to know why the rapid tests are good enough for our doctors and nurses to use but not for our players in empty stadiums
“The safety of players, team staff and stadium personnel remains paramount.
“We hav e w r i t t en to Government health officials at the request of clubs and received confirmation that the advice from clinicians is that PCR testing should be continued.”