Scottish FA vice-president fears 'total disaster' of cancelling next season

Image
AFP Glasgow
Last Updated : May 03 2020 | 10:12 PM IST

Scottish Football Association vice-president Mike Mulraney said on Sunday he fears the governing body might face the "total disaster" scenario of cancelling the next domestic season due to the coronavirus.

The Scottish Professional Football League has abandoned the remainder of the current Championship, League One and League Two seasons after a lengthy and controversial process.

There is no decision yet on how to finish the rest of the 2019-20 Scottish Premiership campaign, but it would be no surprise if it is called off after the French and Dutch leagues were abandoned because of the pandemic.

Now Mulraney, who is also chairman of second tier Alloa, says the SFA are planning for potential situations that include restricted fan access and a campaign behind closed doors -- if the 2020-21 season can begin at all.

And he warned it would be "foolhardy" not to face up to the possibility of Scottish clubs going out of business during the health crisis.

"We have run some pretty stark realities we think are real, meaningful and, if not probable, possible," Mulraney told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme.

"We have three main visions we see we have to deal with as a club. One is a very restricted fanbase, which we think is a possibility.

"The second is how we would run a season without fans, and then it's the total disaster scenario which we have to look at as a club, which is what if we can't play football for another season?
"The last one is the one you have to look at because right now we can't play football."
"Football is the fans but if it requires us to do something like this to ensure we have a football product at the end of it, we have to look at how we give media partners content."

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 03 2020 | 10:12 PM IST

Next Story