Home   Sport   Article

Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs may have option to restart season from Covid-19 suspension with testing but Elgin City chairman Graham Tatters fears campaign could be declared null-and-void


By Craig Christie

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

ELGIN City chairman Graham Tatters fears that fellow lower league clubs could declare their season null and void after this week’s Scottish Government announcement.

Elgin City chairman Graham Tatters.
Elgin City chairman Graham Tatters.

Tatters was puzzled by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s address to the nation on Tuesday, which outlined the country’s pathway out of lockdown, but gave no indication of how semi-professional football can proceed.

A meeting between a League One and Two working group and Scottish football’s Joint Response Group (SFA and SPFL) to discuss the fate of the campaign was cancelled this week, leaving the situation in limbo.

Tatters feels that the Scottish Professional Football League made a damaging split when the decision was made earlier this year to suspend play for all leagues below Championship level.

“To make the decision to allow the Premier League and the Championship to continue with testing, they took us out of that loop and never gave us a chance to discuss that,” he said.

The City chairman says League One and Two clubs could be given an opportunity to restart their season with strict restrictions put in place.

These include all clubs undergoing Covid testing, which they would pay for themselves with a minimum cost of £3000 per week.

Numbers would be reduced in all stadiums with no away directors permitted to attend. Clubs would also be limited to travelling with one person per car, or a maximum of 10 for a bus journey, and squad numbers would be restricted as a result with clubs potentially naming just three substitutes.

But even with these limits imposed, the 20 clubs in the two lower tiers would have to agree on how to complete the campaign.

The current resolution has committed both leagues to fulfilling a 27-game fixture programme, which looks increasingly less likely to be achievable. A vote requiring an eight-to-two majority between the 10 clubs in each division would have to take place if an option to reduce the season to 18 matches was explored. The same would be required if a vote was held to abandon the campaign altogether and go for a null-and-void conclusion.

“At the moment we are signed up for a 27-game season,” Tatters added.

“If we don’t start soon, that is unachievable unless they are going to go through the summer.

“What they are saying is with 27 games, you will be Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday but if you miss any games it will be Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. For a part-time club that is impossible.

Tatters expects at least a week to pass before any more information emerges.

“The next meeting will just give them a little bit of clarification as to where the next step is going. But certainly not expecting any authorisation to play, I don’t think that is going to come out of it any time soon.

“So we are just waiting to see what comes out of that.”

Elgin City were second in League 2 after nine matches and in strong contention for the play-offs when the season was suspended in January.

It's a similar situation to last March when the Black and Whites were sitting third with eight games left in their campaign and hitting top form in the chase for the play-offs.

Instead, Covid-19 swept the nation and the campaign ended with positions finalised based o average points per match, with no play-offs contested and leaders Cove Rangers promoted.

"That's the diappointing thing," Tatters added. "That’s two years now that we’ve been in and around the play-offs.

"This year we’ve been looking really good, really strong and I don't think any team really looked better than us.

"It’s been really tight so I’m just disappointed that we’re probably not going to get the opportunity.

"But it might still happen."


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More