Scottish football suspension extended until June 10 as medical advice paints gloomy picture for timely resumption of 2019/20 season

A ball will not be kicked in Scotland until June 10 - at the earliest.

The suspension of all football in Scotland has been extended until June 10 after football authorities were advised that restrictions on public gatherings of more than two people due to the coronavirus pandemic will not be lifted for at least another 13 weeks.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) made the decision after a board meeting on Thursday morning, where members unanimously agreed to move back the potential resumption date, which had previously been set as April 30.

With the death toll continuing to rise due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in Great Britain, the extension comes as little surprise and reinforces many observers’ notion that a ball won’t be kicked in Scotland until deep into the summer, at best.

The SFA said that the latest date takes into account the fact that group training for football teams cannot take place during these restrictions and that most clubs would need four-to-six weeks of physical preparation before playing competitive football.

The news comes hot on the heels of a resolution from the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) to end the 2019/20 Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two campaigns early. All 42 SPFL member clubs will vote on the proposals, which would see an immediate end to all divisions except the Premiership using a points-per-game ratio to determine final standings. Although top-flight clubs are casting votes, a final call on the Premiership will not be made until it is deemed impossible to complete its remaining games.

In light of the medical advice revealed by the SFA, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to envisage a timely conclusion to current season.

A statement from the SFA’s coronavirus joint response group read: “The Scottish FA board met via videoconference this morning to discuss the implications of the most up-to-date government and medical advice on the governing body’s suspension on football.

“Based on this advice, it has unanimously agreed to extend the suspension at all levels of the game from professional to recreational until at least 10 June.

“The board had initially suspended football until further notice and with a stipulation of April 30 at the earliest, in order to give member clubs greater certainty on player welfare and wellbeing, as well as financial clarity.

“Since the announcement on March 19, the Joint Response Group has received daily updates from the Scottish FA’s Medical Consultant, Dr John MacLean, based on his discussions with medical colleagues in Scotland and the United Kingdom, as well as within UEFA and the World Health Organisation.

“The Scottish FA board has also given due consideration to a letter received by the Scottish Government Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Joe FitzPatrick, drawing attention to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which banned public gatherings of more than two people.

“Mr FitzPatrick stated that these restrictions were unlikely to be lifted for at least 13 weeks and that NHS Scotland had been placed on an emergency footing until at least 10 June 2020. Mr FitzPatrick indicated that no group training would be permitted before the legal restrictions are lifted and noted the medical advice that competitive matches could not take place for about six weeks after training and conditioning recommences.

“This was consistent with the advice of the Scottish FA’s Medical Consultant, as well as UEFA’s confirmation on a recent videoconference that its fixture calendar working group was now looking at dates beyond June 2020 for the resumption of its competitions across Europe.

“It was after full consideration of all these facts that the board has decided to extent the suspension of all football, which for clarity also applies to all training and conditioning of players.”