Use first eight fixtures of next season to finish 2019-20
Everyone impacted by the pandemic is dealing with unexpected and unprecedented challenges.
I offer you no new information, no criticism nor do I suggest that I have the answer to all of your challenges, but I can offer an idea that you may find useful. indeed, an idea that is so reasonable and fair-minded, it will be hard to find much rational objection amongst your constituents.
Uefa has made some decisions and proposals that are helpful and uncertain in equal measure.
Postponing the European Championship until the summer of 2021 is a good, if inevitable, decision. It removes some immediate pressure from the current calendar year, and potentially provides a new window of opportunity into which the delayed league and cup fixtures can be placed.
Suggesting that the current domestic schedules are completed by 30 June may be very optimistic. Moreover, how does that place this objective at odds with the unique circumstances in each of the 50-plus European nations.
If developments indicate that fixtures can be completed in line with Uefa’s wishes, then all well and good. But if not, then consider the current 2019-20 season to be truncated and use the next domestic season (whenever that starts) to complete the remaining fixtures as follows:
● Distribute a portion of the potential prize money to each club which should be equal to the minimum that they would achieve in the worst possible scenario for their remaining fixtures
● Play Scottish Cup semifinals and final as early as possible in the next campaign
● No relegation from the Premiership
● No relegation in the lower leagues
● Promote the two teams in first and second place from each of the lower leagues, making those teams champions and runners up as placed with prize money awarded now
● Uefa will presumably want/need to know which clubs are going to be entered into the Uefa competitions, which would be prior to completing the domestic competitions which determine the same. In the absence of a reasonable alternative, this should be based on current league standings and a coin toss for the Scottish Cup place (obviously observing FFP requirements and any other Uefa guidelines)
● For 2020-21 the Premiership will now be a 14-team league. Pre-split this represents a balanced 13 home and 13 away fixtures schedule. Post-split this will represent a balanced six home and six away fixtures schedule
● Given the unplayed SPFL fixtures in 2019-20 (both pre and post split), schedule the 2020-21 league games so that the first eight fixtures reflect those unplayed 2019-20 fixtures
● Use the results to complete the 2019-20 season and determine the league champions (the clubs involved in the single rescheduled fixture can agree to play it or not), and also use the results for the 2020-21 league programme
● Distribute the balance of the prize money given the final positions based on completing the 2019-2020 fixtures in the form outlined above.
There would be an opportunity to evaluate a 14-team top-tier league format, which could either be preserved or changed over subsequent years. The fact that it delivers a balanced fixture schedule should be a significant positive, as should be the fact that the two clubs being promoted are both recent top-tier clubs who will add to the league. Additionally, it would actually allow for the full calendar year of fixtures to be published right at the start of the season (where post-split fixtures are expressed “team 1 v team 2”). It would also remove the postsplit fixture planning burden from the league administrators – let’s be honest this is an enormous nonsense that creates ridiculous suspicion all in the name of “safety”, which is comical as the random nature of results means that nobody can be sure when the league will be won, where and by whom.
I believe that this would be a scenario with least disruption to the forward looking fixture calendar. There would obviously be revenue loss related to the loss of fixtures, but every industry is being similarly impacted, and adjustments will need to be made.