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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Walker & Gabriel McKay

UEFA sent season ending 'hostage' warning by Dutch top flight as SPFL resume crunch talks

The Dutch league has warned UEFA that they won't be forced into continuing the season - on the day the SPFL meets to try and find a way out of the coronavirus crisis.

Football across Europe has been shut down by COVID-19, with no clear indication of when it will resume.

UEFA are keen to make sure the 2019-20 campaign is completed, and FIFA have put measures in place to extend player contracts.

But the Belgian top flight has indicated its intention to call the season as it stands, and Scottish clubs are meeting today to try and decide on a way forward.

That could involve declaring that the Premiership season should end with the table as it stands, crowning Celtic champions and relegating Hearts.

(SNS Group)

Now the Dutch top flight has joined the backlash against UEFA, warning that they will make their own decision on what to do.

Eredivisie director Mattijs Manders insisted: "We will ultimately make our own decision and we will not be held hostage by UEFA or put under pressure by them.

"If we decide to stop, we will stop. We will consult with the authorities, but no one will make the decision about whether Dutch football is safe apart from us.

"We will draw our own lines and make our own decisions. UEFA wants there to be as much clarity as possible in the decisions made by us and other similarly-sized leagues.

"But UEFA will never have the final say in football in these countries.

"UEFA don't have the power to sanction countries who choose people's safety first. They want us to play football and so do we. But only when it is safe."

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