Scottish football is on Covid-19 red alert as the Scottish government edged towards a tightening of the lockdown which looks set to kick the return of fans into the long grass.
Record Sport understands a plan to ask Holyrood for permission to stage at least one more test event this weekend – with a limited number of socially-distanced supporters – has already been shelved as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon prepares to ramp up restrictions following a recent spike in infections.
It’s expected the FM will announce a range of strict new measures at some point in the next 24 hours after attending an emergency COBRA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday morning.
And football chiefs suspect the raft of new regulations will derail their hopes of getting fans back through the turnstiles any time soon – leaving our cash-strapped clubs facing an increasingly desperate financial situation.
It had been hoped fans would be gradually phased back into grounds throughout next month with Celtic hoping to have some inside Parkhead for the first Old Firm derby of the season on October 17.
But those hopes appeared to be torpedoed on Monday as politicians across all four home nations discussed the next steps in combating the pandemic.
Record Sport understands SPFL bosses have had no indication from St Andrew’s House of the impact the measures are likely to have on the continuation of the game.
With the top flight already up and running behind closed doors, the lower three tiers are set to kick-off on October 17.
One source told us: “The hope all along had been that fans would be allowed back in some numbers around about the time the three lower leagues opened up. But with each passing day the return of supporters seems more and more distant.
“It’s hard enough for the Premiership clubs to operate without supporters and it may prove financially impossible for some of the clubs at the lower levels of the game.”
