The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Swift shutdown ruling surprised league chief
● ‘Unprecedented’ situation required action says Houston
Highland League secretary Rod Houston admits yesterday’s decision to suspend fixtures was sooner than expected.
All domestic professional and grassroots football under the Scottish FA’s jurisdiction have been called off with immediate effect due to the coronavirus outbreak.
There were five Highland League matches as well as two Highland League semifinals due to take place this afternoon but Houston said the clubs understood the decision to postpone the games indefinitely.
Houston said: “The only unexpected bit was the timing.
“We had a meeting with the president and chief executive of the Scottish FA on Tuesday night which was a pre-arranged meeting to talk about general issues.
“We felt there would be a suspension at some stage but this is a bit sooner than we expected.
“At the moment there are too many imponderables to draw any firm conclusions on the next steps.
“Is it the right call? “I don’t know the science sufficiently but the decision-making process was set out clearly by Rod Petrie and Ian Maxwell.
“The process was that the UK Government is the principal decisionmaker and it would come down through the Scottish Government and through the Scottish FA to us.
“We said we were prepared to accept the process and the decision because the people making the decision would have a much clearer picture of the situation than we have.
“The key is going to be how long it lasts”
“As soon as the Scottish FA decided to postpone the games, we were ready to accept it.
“We will just take it step by step but the first thing is to get our heads clear.
“We have to see how long this is likely to last and it is difficult to develop answers until we know that.”
Brora Rangers are 13 points clear at the top of the Highland League with six games left to play but it is unclear when and if the 2019-20 campaign will resume.
The Cattachs were due to host Buckie Thistle in the semi-finals of the Highland League Cup this afternoon.
Houston said: “The one thing I would reassure clubs is the decisions will be made with the best knowledge we can gather at the time and in collaboration with the clubs.
“The clubs were fine with the decision. The meeting earlier this week meant they were aware this was a possibility.”
The Highland League secretary admitted the decision presents a major challenge for the 17 member clubs but vowed to work with them to help minimise problems.
He said: “This is my fourth season as secretary. I was chatting to my predecessor John Grant last Saturday and we agreed this situation is unprecedented.
“Even foot and mouth didn’t have this impact.
“The last time the Highland League was suspended for circumstances like that was the Second World War.
“This is a decision that hasn’t been taken lightly.
“The first thing we need to do is get practical answers to things, such as what is the situation with players’ wages?”
“There will be clubs in the Scottish game, not particularly Highland
League clubs, who are compromised,” said Mr Houston.
“We have no problem with the decision.
“But now it is happened, we have to look carefully at what the ramifications are and prepare things to minimise the impact.
“The key is going to be how long it lasts. At what stage would we draw a line under this season and allow clubs and the organisation to prepare for next season?”