Top flight clubs were placed on collision course with the Scottish Government after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted it may be months before she will allow fans to return to the game.
As revealed by Record Sport ambitious, detailed planning is being carried out to stage ‘test events’ at both Celtic Park and BT Murrayfield - with Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell hoping to open the turnstiles again before the end of this month to stage a trial run in a pre-season friendly.
SRU chiefs have also put forward a proposal to let around 1,000 supporters into the relaunch of the Pro-14 when Glasgow Warriors face Edinburgh at the home of rugby on August 22.
And Aberdeen also announced plans to let as many as 7,500 punters back into Pittodrie shortly after the season begins on August 1 as the Premiership attempts to protect itself from the potentially catastrophic financial fall-out of the coronavirus pandemic.
But the FM appeared to torpedo those proposals when, along with National Clinical Director Professor Jason Leitch, she hammered home the message that COVID-19 could keep the gates shut beyond October.
That prompted a furious response from some of the country’s leading clubs - with her comments also urgently discussed at a meeting of football’s Joint Response Group.
And, as the drama unfolded, one Premiership chief executive told Record Sport : “There is an undercurrent of fury around Scottish football. The government appears to be disregarding the social, cultural and economic importance of the game in this country and their actions may have catastrophic consequences.
“It’s a sensitive issue so there is an understandable reluctance for people in the game to express this anger in public but many of us feel as if these consequences are not being taken into consideration.
“And it is heightened when clubs in this country watch others from all round Europe get back to playing matches with crowds.
“We’re already miles behind England who are up and running behind closed doors and are in advanced discussions with the Department of Culture Media and Sport about re-opening the turnstiles.
“By comparison the dismissive approach of the government in this country could be disastrous for our national sport. Unless they change their position it could cause a catastrophic event for the Scottish game.”
At Thursday’s daily briefing at St Andrews House, Leitch was first to cast doubt on plans to fast-track the return of supporters.
He said: “We cannot predict when crowds will be back. I can predict that it will not be soon, it will be phased.
“I had another conversation yesterday with the leadership of the SFA and the SPFL, the club leadership along with some colleagues and I have suggested in media in the last two or three days, perhaps October. I would maybe pencil that into your calendar but I certainly wouldn’t write over it in pen.”
Moments later Sturgeon was even less enthusiastic about the chances of football fans being allowed out of lockdown.
She doubled down: “Football with crowds has not been pencilled in for October. We haven’t taken that decision yet.
“Jason was simply trying to find a way of saying, ‘Don’t assume it will be October when we get crowds back,’.
“So do not take from this that we have given football an October provisional date for crowds being back. That’s not the case and actually I don’t think it’s a fair interpretation of what Jason actually said.”
On Tuesday, Lawwell revealed in Record Sport that he had not given up hope of allowing limited numbers of socially distanced fans into Celtic Park for the opening league game of the season on the first weekend of August.
The champions are also working on a plan to open the stadium to some supporters for a pre-season friendly on July 25.
And Aberdeen believe their ground could be open to the paying public within weeks of the new season starting up behind closed doors.
In a statement the Pittodrie club said: “As we emerge from lockdown and restrictions are easing, the situation with regards to football is changing on an almost daily basis.
“With positive progress on the fight against COVID‐19, there may now only be a few home games behind closed doors, and we could get back to playing in front of partial crowds earlier than anticipated.
“AFC will, of course, be guided by Government advice and the guidelines from the footballing authorities.
“With the opening league game only four weeks away, we are now making preparations for matches at Pittodrie both behind closed doors and with a reduced capacity, initially allowing access for 7,500 season ticket holders, assuming one metre social distancing.”
