Hearts and Hibs could feature in a ten-day Scottish Cup ‘festival of football’ at the end of the season as bosses work on a plan to save the competition.
The game’s extended shutdown below the top two tiers means 12 ties in the second round of the competition - including the Jambos’ trip to Highland League Brora - are still to be played, with dates on the fixture calendar rapidly running out.
Hibs were due to face Queen of the South at the end of January in round three, but that was shelved, while last year’s beaten finalists Hearts waited weeks to find out whether they would face Camelon Juniors or Brora in round two after a raft of postponements - only for the competition to be suspended shortly afterwards.
It means the SFA are now scrambling to ensure the tournament - which has no title sponsor, but which has an agreement in place for broadcast rights - is played before the end of the season.
The competition currently features a £5 million prize pot to be shared between participating clubs
The Daily Record reports one suggestion is to host a ‘festival of football’, with as many as three rounds of matches being played in a ten day window ahead of semi finals on April 10 and 11.
But that would require space to be made in the league calendar, with Hearts already playing a shortened 27-game Championship campaign in order to bring the season to a conclusion.
Factor in the added complication of Scotland’s participation in this summer’s European Championships and bosses face a headache in attempting to have the tournament completed by the time the final is due to take place on May 8.
The report adds the ‘worst case scenario’ may be that the competition is suspended until after the summer when, like last year’s, it is played out again with a December final.
