Neil Doncaster has refused to rule out declaring the season ‘null and void’ if coronavirus restrictions grind the Scottish game back to a halt.
The SPFL chief executive dropped the bombshell admission during an exclusive Q&A with Record Sport as he fronted up the mayhem that’s been caused by Celtic’s controversial winter trip to Dubai.
Doncaster dismissed calls to scratch last season from the record books without awarding titles and promotion as ‘never a realistic possibility’.
The campaign ended in chaos with Celtic crowned top flight champions and Hearts being relegated despite the campaign being curtailed by the coronavirus crisis.
Now, with Rangers sitting 21 points clear at the top of the table and on the verge of claiming a first title in 10 years, Doncaster has refused to rule out the null and void option.
Asked why he was so firm in his refusal to hit the nuclear button last year but appears less strong this time around, the Hampden boss said: “No one has a crystal ball but certainly if we carry on as we are then we’ve got a very good chance of completing the Premiership and Championship seasons.
"If the games can’t be completed and we end up where we were in March 2020 then clearly it’s going to be a very difficult situation.
“You’ve got to bear in mind over 75 per cent of games had been played in all four divisions of the SPFL when the season was curtailed.
"We certainly hope we will complete 100 per cent of the fixtures in all four divisions this season. It will be for the members to determine what happens in the event they are not.
“In the event the games couldn’t be played, then once again the members might have a decision to make.
“I’ve never ruled out anything. It’s up to the members to rule things in or out.
"We are a members organisation and the members want to retain the power to decide whether the season should be curtailed or not rather than give it to the board.
“The consequences of a void season are much more dramatic, partly because of the commercial contracts which underpin the game but at the moment there is no reason to believe the Premiership and Championship won’t be completed.”
