St Mirren will today argue their case to have their Covid-19 breach penalties wiped out.
The Buddies were left livid when the SPFL decided to hand Motherwell and Hamilton 3-0 forfeit wins over them after punishing the Paisley club for breaching coronavirus protocols.
Kilmarnock were also handed the same fate for similar breaches for a postponed game with Motherwell, with both clubs deciding to appeal the decision last month.
Several weeks later, an independent Scottish Football Association panel will finally hear the case today before ruling on whether the initial punishment handed out by the SPFL should stand or if another is more suitable. It’s not yet known when the result of the appeal will be announced.
Saints manager Jim Goodwin has repeatedly argued the club should be able to play the two postponed matches and has pointed to similar instances in England being handled much less forcefully.
This week, League Two side Grimsby Town became the first club in England to be punished for breaking Covid-19 rules.
They were handed a £4,880 suspended fine after postponing three games following an outbreak of the virus at the club.
The Mariners were found to have broken social distancing rules at their Cheapside training ground, with some in breach of car sharing rules, both of which St Mirren were found guilty of by an SPFL investigation.
Grimsby’s postponed games will now be rearranged, as has been the case in other European countries, such as Italy, where a similar instance occurred between Juventus and Napoli.
Napoli successfully appealed against a default 3-0 loss to Juve, with the match now set to be rescheduled and the penalty originally dished out revoked.
The chaos that has ensued following Celtic's recent trip to Dubai will also likely be used as a defence, with the Hoops alleged to have broken protocols during their warm weather training camp.
Yesterday, St Mirren were involved in a virtual meeting of all 42 SPFL clubs following the immediate suspension of football in Scotland below Championship level.
THE SFA and SPFL joint response group was expected to give an update on how the pandemic has affected the football landscape.
The medical team was also set to advise on what clubs should expect to happen over the coming months.
