Hibs call for early winter break as Easter Road side joins other clubs in SPFL plea

Hibs have called for the SPFL to bring forward the winter break scheduled for January to this month in a bid to avoid playing games behind closed doors.

The Easter Road side is due to play Dundee United at Tannadice on Boxing Day before travelling to face Celtic on December 29, with the Edinburgh derby fixed for January 3.

However, Hibs chiefs have joined fellow Scottish Premiership clubs including Celtic, Motherwell, and St Mirren in urging league chiefs to rethink the winter break in light of the Scottsh Government's latest announcement on Covid-19 restrictions, highlighting the importance of football to supporters and a desire to avoid potential loss of substantial revenue.

A statement from the club read: “Following the Scottish Government’s announcement earlier today, Hibs has requested that the SPFL brings forward the scheduled winter break and reschedule the affected fixtures.

A general view of Easter Road

“The announcement stated football will be played behind-closed-doors for an initial period of up to three weeks, starting on December 26.

“That means our games against Dundee United, Celtic, and Hearts would all be affected.

“Hibs completely understands that this is an incredibly difficult situation due to on-going pandemic, and with that in mind health and safety should be at the forefront of every decision, which is why the club has made this proposal to the SPFL.

“Alongside this, every effort should be made to allow supporters to watch their team and the game they love. The club believes this will protect the integrity of the competition and save clubs from the potential loss of substantial revenue.

“The club is now waiting for guidance from the SPFL and will update supporters in due course.”