Finish campaign early – and end the uncertainty as well
time. I know there’s the close season but that time of year often seems like a blessing following a long, hard campaign.
Right now, when football has been snatched from us so abruptly just when the season was getting particularly interesting, it feels like a most brutal act of robbery. Envy was the initial emotion when Sky Sports ran through a list of places where football was still taking place, such as Turkey, parts of Brazil and Australia. I know the correct response was – idiots.
Perhaps it will get easier the longer the break lasts. Perhaps footballless Saturday and Sunday afternoons will regain some sparkle. Of course, it’s not just weekends. The coming days were meant to be full of drama as Champions League last-16 clashes concluded, along with Europa League last-16 ties. They are now destined to be football’s version of a TV cliffhanger that’s never resolved.
Some certainty will presumably emerge from the Uefa meeting tomorrow morning, when the fate of Euro 2020 and these half-played European ties will become known. It’s the same day as Steve Clarke was meant to name his squad for next week’s eagerly awaited and sold-out play-off semi-final v Israel.
It was supposed to be the biggest match of recent times for Scotland. Now it’s just another ghost game amid hundreds of others that may or may not ever get played.
No football fan wants to see the season brought to an abrupt and premature end, but this is an unprecedented scenario – one that is not going to be resolved quickly – and it goes without saying that people’s health has to come first.
Bringing the season to an end now removes the uncertainty for players, staff and clubs, and the early delivery of parachute payments will be vital for a number of clubs reliant on that cash boost to keep their heads above the water. On top of that, players and coaching staff have lives outside of the game and will already have made plans for the short window between seasons. Trying to cram eight or nine games into a small window would have a serious knock-on effect to next season. Relegation and promotion appears to be the biggest stumbling block – Hearts have already indicated that they will fight any attempt to demote them to the second tier, while in the League 1 title race, five teams are separated by only eight points with eight matches remaining. No one wants to see clubs prematurely relegated or miss out on potential promotion and the financial boost that comes with it, but a decision needs to be made, and soon.
So, bring the curtain down on the season, award the honours and settle relegation issues based on where we left off, and follow Scottish Rugby’s lead by setting aside a hardship fund for clubs struggling to make ends meet. This will stop clubs and players from fretting about playing into the summer, put health and well-being front and centre and hopefully allow the Scottish game to move forwards.
“Bring the curtain down on the season, award the honours and settle the relegation issues based on where we left off”