East Kilbride boss Stevie Aitken claims the Scottish FA know exactly what’s happening with the Lowland League season – and says they should be ‘man enough’ to tell clubs if it’s being scrapped.
The Kilby gaffer says clubs should have been consulted ahead of the suspension of lower leagues, which has been extended to February 14.
And Aitken says part-time clubs are being made to pay for a bigger issue in Scottish football that isn’t of their own making.
“I think in the halls of the SFA – or wherever it is – they know what’s happening, they don’t all of a sudden just make a decision until they decide what’s happening,” said Aitken.
“They know exactly what’s happening, going forward, so why haven’t they let the clubs know and let us start planning?
“If it’s a March start, fine, let us start preparing for it.
“If it’s not going ahead be man enough to say the season is not going to go ahead.
“We’re in no-man’s land, and not knowing what’s happening is frustrating for everybody involved – players, managers, owners – and they need to try and get us some clarity on that.
“They say they will announce on February 10 what’s going to happen come the 14th, but if they don’t know what’s happening on February 1, what chance have they got on the 10th?
“They know what’s happening, so just come out and tell us.”
Aitken added: “I don’t think it should have been stopped. I don’t think any part-time teams were consulted on it, the decision was just made outwith us all.
“We were all taken by surprise when it was announced in the media that the lower leagues of football were suspended.
“Nobody had a clue. Nobody at our club had a clue, talking to other managers and in League One and Two it was exactly the same.
“We understand the issues behind the decision, the pandemic and everything else, but the amount of cases we’ve had at the part-time level has been very little, compared to what the Premiership have had.
“We don’t buy into the logic behind it. Part-time players weren’t an issue but it was taken out of our hands, it was a government/SFA decision and it has left us in limbo.
“I don’t think there was an issue with part-time clubs; the big issue was in Scottish football in general, maybe the Celtic situation possibly, I don’t know.
“I think there was a bigger issue and part-time clubs have been made to pay for that.”
Aitken says the problem will increase the longer it is allowed to go on, and added: “That has been three or four weeks now, it will be five weeks before the decision is made, and who knows what that decision is going to be.
“The fear is that we’re not going to get going again, that’s the question I want to find out.
“They know – just come out and tell us what’s happening.”
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