Scottish football below Championship level suspended for three weeks

Scottish football below Championship level has been suspended for three weeks - in light of the latest coronavirus case numbers.

The SFA board met last night - and says it took into account public health guidance, and the commercial broadcasting contracts that help to support the professional game.

Following a meeting with the minister for sport, the decision was taken to temporarily suspend matches below the Championship.

It affects SPFL Leagues 1 and 2, Scottish Women’s Football Premier Leagues 1 & 2, Highland League, Lowland League, East, West & South of Scotland Leagues, Scottish Junior FA Leagues and the North Caledonian League.

All Scottish Cup fixtures due to be held this month - including a number of rearranged games tomorrow night - have also been postponed.

Footballing authorities say the situation will be reviewed on a rolling basis after January 31.

Rod Petrie, SFApresident: “The Scottish FA is well aware of the efforts all clubs take to comply with the exacting protocols that were conditional on elite football being given an exemption to continue amid the pandemic.

“None the less the continuation of football at all levels has weighed increasingly heavy on me as President, my colleagues on the board and the Joint Response Group as we have watched the new strain of the virus spread rapidly.

“While the national sport has been afforded the privilege of elite sporting exemption, the risk of mass transportation of untested, largely part-time players is something that cannot be sustained as the cases continue to rise and available hospital beds become increasingly scarce.

“After discussions with the SPFL, the Premiership and Championship will continue on the proviso that both adhere to the existing testing regime. The vast majority of teams in those divisions are full-time professional clubs and so the risk of transmission remains manageably low. The cost implications to lower-division clubs was one factor but so too the realisation that many – with some notable exceptions – consist of part-time players who are either prevented from working due to the virus or have to work.

“In either case, the risk is currently too great amid the developing nationwide spread of the virus.

“Much has been said of football’s relationship with the Scottish Government during the pandemic. As President of the Scottish FA and Chair of the Joint Response Group, I am grateful for the clinical expertise provided by government specifically to football and for the timely award of £30m in grant and loan funding for the game. 

“We reiterate our commitment to playing our part in the collective effort to eradicate the virus.”