The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
SFA begins U21s review after Kerr Covid-19 setback
The SFA will review S c o t l and U 2 1 safeguards after Scotland w o m e n’s head coach Shelley K e r r b e c am e embro i led in a coronavirus outbreak.
Ano th e r two members of Scot Gemmill’s backroom staff have returned positive tests and six Hampden employees – including Kerr – have also been ordered to quarantine after coming into close contact with the new cases.
Kerr will now have to sit out the European C h am p i on sh i p qualifiers away to Portugal on Friday and at home to Finland the following Tuesday.
The test results will cast further doubt on th e m e a su r e s employed by the governing body after Premiership bosses Neil Lennon, Derek McInnes and Stephen Robinson all hit out af ter seeing their weekend preparations turned upside down by the outbreak.
Celtic midfielder David Turnbull was withdrawn from Lennon’s group to face Hibs after testing positive along with Aberdeen midfielder Ross McCrorie and his twin brother Robby, who plays in goal for Livingston.
The Dons also saw Connor McLennan and Lewis Ferguson ruled out for Sunday’s 4- 0 hammering at Ibrox after they were named among 11 U21 players instructed to se l f - i so la te following the young Scots ’ European qualifier in Greece.
M o t h e r w e l l midfielders Allan Campbell and Barry Maguire were also among those forced to isolate after they were found to have come into close contact with the positive trio during bus and coach journeys.
The SFA retested Gemmill’s backroom team over the weekend and two further positive cases were discovered.
Lennon, McInnes and Robinson have led the calls for major improvements in the SFA’s safety protocols after insisting their players complied fully with the guidelines they were issued by the governing body.
SFA chief executive Ian Ma x w e l l has d e f end ed th e measures put in place – but also apologised to the teams forced to do without key players at late notice.
He said: “It is important to clarify that the under-21 squad undertook four Covid tests on duty - one in the days prior to meeting and one on entry to the camp, both of which were in addition to the two o f f i c i a l U e f a mandatory tests prior to each game.”
The SFA insists Kerr fo l lowed soc ia ldistancing rules when she came into contact with one of the new positive cases.
Ke r r ’s assistant Andy Thomson will take charge of the games with support from Scotland U19s boss Billy Stark and SFA high performance boss Paul Brownlie.