SPFL asks Sturgeon for emergency meeting
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has written to Nicola Sturgeon to ask for an emergency meeting to end the ongoing lock-out of Scottish football fans.
Following the announcement that clubs in England have been given the green light to welcome fans back, the SPFL boss has issued a direct appeal to the First Minister to let Scottish fans back into stadia in carefully-managed, meaningful numbers.
Doncaster has warned that failure to get fans back into grounds in the very near future will“sound the death-knell” for some clubs, as he urged Sturgeon to follow in the footsteps of her Westminster counterpart, Boris Johnson, who has allowed fans back into grounds in England from next week.
The Prime Minister confirmed that outdoor venues that are in Tier 1 are - as( of lowest risk) will be allowed to host 4,000 spectators or fill 50% of their capacity (whichever is lower). Outdoor venues in Tier 2 areas will be able to welcome 2,000 spectators or 50% of their capacity back into their stadiums but Tier 3 will continue to play behind closed doors.
Doncaster is hoping a similar approach can be adopted north of the border. He said :“Scottish football fans are the most
Diego Maradona, regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time, has died just a few weeks after his 60th birthday.
Pele, the three times World Cup -winning Brazilian star who could also lay claim to that title, led tributes, saying: “One day, I hope we can play football together in the sky.”
Mar a dona, the midfield linchpin of the Argentina side that won the 1986 World Cup and former national team manager, had successful surgery to remove a blood clot on the brain in a Buenos Aires hospital earlier this month.
His personal physician Dr Leopoldo Luque said the early signs were "favourable", but it has been reported that Maradon a suffered a fatal heart attack at his home yesterday.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) tweeted "its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona", adding: "You will always be in our hearts."
Indisputably one of the finest players to grace the game, he is thought of by many as the best following a storied career, the highlight of which came when he captained Argentina to a second World Cup crown 34 years ago.
He also led the country to the final of the 1990 tournament in Italy and managed them in South Africa in 2010.
Argentina president Alberto Fernandez tweeted: "You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all.
"Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives."
UEFA held a minute's silence at all last night's Champions League matches in Marado - na's memory.
Maradona's successes made him a global star and a national hero in Argentina but his career was also blighted by controversies on and off the field.
His' Hand of God' goal against England in the 1986 quarter-finals, when he pushed the ball into the net with his hand, earned him infamy - although he followed up by scoring the ' goal of the century ', a remarkable solo effort, in the same game.
His international playing career ended in shame when he failed a drugs test at the 1994 World Cup in the United States and he was notorious for away ward lifestyle. He was also banned from football in 1991 after testing positive for cocaine while playing for Napoli.
However, he remained a revered figure at the Italian club, where he won two Serie A titles. He also played for Barcelona, Sevilla, Boca Juniors and Newell' s Old Boys and was most recently manager of Gimnasia y Esgrima in La Plata, Argentina.
News of his death prompted an outpouring of eulogies. Pele, who alongside Maradona often tops polls for the acco - lade of greatest footballer of all time, wrote on his official Twitter account: "What sad news.
"I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky."
Na po li said on the social networking site "there are no words to describe the pain we're going through", Barcelona added "thank you for everything, Diego" while Boca gave "eternal thanks" to their former player.
Former England striker Gary Linek er, who played in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina, said: "By some distance the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time.
"After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully he'll finally find some comfort in the hands of God. #Ripdiego"
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo said on Instagram: "Today I bid farewell to a friend and the world farewells to an eternal genius. One of the best ever, an unmatched magician. Leaves too soon but leaves a boundless legacy and a void that will never be filled. RIP. You will never be forgotten."
As ifKapadia, who directed the 2019 film Maradona, tweeted :" Can' t quite believe DM has gone. Hard to process.
"He always seemed in destructible. I had 10 hours with them an !! I touched his left foot. We did our best to show the world the man, the myth, the fighter he was. The greatest."
The AFA said in a statement on its website: "Maradona was, is and will forever be a hero of our football.
"An emblem that knew how to bring the colour soft he Argentine flag to every corner of the planet. Diego forever marked an era with his inde - sc rib able and unsurpassed talent. The soccer planet will remember you forever. "Goodbye, ten!" Lionel Messi, the greatest Argentinian of the current generation, wrote on Instagram :" A very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal. "I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP." Peter Reid, a no therm member of the England side which suffered at the hand and the left foot of Mar ado na in 1986, spoke highly of the South American' s incredible footballing gift. "The second (goal) is a man at the height of his ability and quite simply he is one of the best players to walk the planet," Reid told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Speaking about the second goal, Reid added: "With his balance and his strength he just went through us. It was just one of those things you can't stop. "I get asked ' why didn't you bring him down ?' and rest assured if I could have got there .... I wake up in a cold sweat still thinking about it.”