Clubs face Covid ‘test runs’ prior to hosting fans

SCOTTISH football clubs will have to prove their Covid safety credentials with a series of ‘test events’ before even limited numbers of fans are allowed back into grounds. The country’s national clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch, insisted last night that there was ‘pretty much no chance’ of supporters returning before October. And he stressed that even positive talks with clubs and governing bodies had been focused on cautious baby steps rather than giant leaps. Leitch, who raised concerns about crowds gathering in car parks if even a tiny number of punters were allowed into watch their teams, remains hopeful Scotland will eventually be sufficiently clear of the virus to host capacity crowds. But he warned that a series of key criteria would have to be met at every stage of a planned — and gradual — return to normality. Dismissing suggestions of a swift comeback for crowds, he told BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme: ‘We have had some very early conversations with a couple of stadia and organisers about what a test event might look like. ‘How you would separate the fans? Where you would put the alcohol gel? How you would manage the club bubble and people? ‘So it’s not full-scale crowds coming back, even physically distanced. ‘But what we will do is we’ll have to run test events. As you can imagine, if we opened up the theatres, we would want to know that the theatres could do that properly with the public health advice. ‘I’m as keen as anybody to get back to those crowds. But we need to do behind close doors first, for sure. ‘Then probably some test events, very small crowds. And we don’t want everybody gathering then in the car park, cheering on their team. We’ve got to be very careful. ‘Then, all being well, each step needs confirmed, then you get back to having smaller crowds, physically distanced. ‘And then I really look forward to a full-on return, back to normal.’ The Scottish Government gave Premiership teams permission to resume full-contact training earlier this week, with Leitch now more confident that the planned August 1 kick-off can go ahead as scheduled. Lower league seasons aren’t due to begin until mid-October, by which time paying punters should be allowed back in sufficient numbers to make the finances work.