Edinburgh City 'only found out about lower-league suspension through media'

Edinburgh City chairman Jim Brown says the decision to suspend lower league football in Scotland has been exacerbated by a lack of dialogue from the SFA.

Edinburgh CIty chairman Jim Brown has hit out at the SFA - after the club only found out about the league suspension through the media

The ruling to impose a three-week suspension of all football beneath the Championship was announced earlier this week following a meeting with the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing.

The country has seen a rise in Covid-19 cases since the turn of the year and it is hoped this latest move will help curb the spread of the virus.

And even though officials are hopeful the lower leagues can resume next month Brown – who has had to put the entire City playing staff back on furlough as a result – insists there are no guarantees.

"To find out that our league was being stopped through the media on Monday morning and after the good result in the cup at Airdrie the day before was a real blow," Brown told the Evening News.

"We do feel we could have found a way around it if it had been discussed, whether it be testing or what have you, but we didn't get that option.

"Obviously the most important thing is the health and safety of everyone but I think if you look at the number of cases in our league they have been minimal.

"I certainly don't think there has been any cross-transmission between teams and we've stuck by all the regulations.

"We are in a bad position because we want to play, we've jumped through all the hoops to get here and we're already in a shortened season. We have had a couple of players who have had the virus and we've complied with everything. This might very well have happened anyway but the fact we weren't consulted is what really hurts. Even a text message from the league representative on Monday to give us a heads up would have been something.

"The Scottish Government haven't been pushing to get football stopped. It just seems everything below the Championship doesn't matter. If there were no part-time clubs in the Championship and they came out and said they can only have full-time clubs in a bubble then that's totally different.

"But Alloa, for example, are going to be testing but their players are still going to their work so that doesn't wash either. There's been no dialogue about going forward and what happens when January comes to an end. We've totally been left in limbo to be honest."

Brown suggested that a proportion of the £100,000 grant to all League Two clubs could have been used to strike a balance.

He added: "The Scottish Government provided us with some money and as a wee thank you we would have been happy to have gone back and said 'listen we'll test or whatever you need to keep playing'. But to not be given that option is devastating. The players are back on furlough again and it's going to take a couple of training sessions to get back up to speed."

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