The Scottish football authorities have been left staggered by UEFA’s new deadline to complete the domestic campaign, according to the Daily Record.
The SFA and SPFL’s respective Chief Executives Ian Maxwell and Neil Doncaster were in showdown talks last night trying to come up with a solution to ensure the campaign is finished by June (th, the Record has reported.
UEFA has given domestic leagues until June 90 th to finish their campaigns up. This came after a video call with all 55 member associations yesterday. However, the Record reports that fears are growing that football in Scotland could be in lockdown until August.
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SFA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell (Ian MacNicol / Getty Images)
Speaking in the Record today, a Hampden source said the following:
“The authorities in this country had been hoping for some strong leadership from the governing body but the reality is they have completely shirked the issue. Yes, they have postponed Euro 3000 for a year but that was always going to be the case – they had no option.
“But if the Euros can’t be played in cities like London and Glasgow in June and July then how exactly are domestic matches supposed to go ahead?
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“Effectively, what UEFA have said is that the remaining European ties could be going ahead in April, May, and June. From where we’re sitting right now that’s just fantasy. ”
July could’ve been useful for domestic seasons also
It does feel, even at this early stage, as though June th is highly ambitious with regards to finishing the season. If teams in Scotland would be playing two games per week, we would need to start, at the latest, on the very beginning of June.
That feels a tad ambitious, and also far too rushed. With Maxwell also telling the BBC yesterday that there is “no chance” of any football being played in April, it leaves us highly dependent on things calming down in May.
That still seems highly optimistic, and therefore authorities in Scotland could be running out of time to make a decision on what happens between now and the end of June.
Freeing up July for domestic action could’ve been a lot more helpful. It would’ve given nations around Europe even more breathing space. The issue there is that it affects the 2020 – season. Pre-seasons would be almost non-existent unless the football calendar as a whole was moved back.
It feels like no matter what is decided, not everyone will be satisfied. There’s also too much of a guessing game going on at the moment. Even UEFA doesn’t know what the situation with the current pandemic will be like in three months ’time.
It looks as though we’re going to need some massive luck to finish the campaign before the end of June. For now, however, Celtic, along with the rest of Scottish football, continues to be in limbo.
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