The Scottish Football Association has suspended all football matches beneath the Scottish Championship for 3 weeks, following on from the announcement that the country would be entering a nationwide lockdown until January 31st.
Suspension to help protect teams and public
The Scottish Football Association said their decision was made after consulting with the Minister for Public Health Sport and Wellbeing. Therefore, as of today, January 12st, the suspension will begin, before hopefully ceasing at the end of the month.
The following leagues will be impacted by this temporary suspension: SPFL League One, SPFL League Two, North Caledonian League, Scottish Women’s Football Premier Leagues 1 & 2, East, West & South of Scotland Leagues, Highland League, Lowland League, and the Scottish Junior FA Leagues.
The Scottish Football Association released the following statement: “Following a meeting between the Scottish FA and the Minister for Public Health Sport and Wellbeing, both parties have agreed to impose a temporary suspension of all football beneath the Scottish Professional Football League Championship, encompassing all predominantly part-time tiers of the Scottish professional pyramid.”
Professional teams are exempt from suspension
The Scottish Football Association continued: “Based on the imperatives of acting in the best interests of public health and participant safety, whilst ensuring professional clubs’ survival, the SPFL Premiership will be exempt from the suspension, provided it continues to adhere to the stringent testing protocols. The SPFL Championship will also be able to continue provided it commences weekly PCR testing.”
This means that not all matches will be cancelled, which is fantastic news for football fans. However, with the national lockdown still under review, it is difficult to tell whether or not the Scottish Football Association will extend its suspension beyond January 31st.
