Coronavirus: No football until May at the earliest

The Fifers know they'll be out of action until May at the earliest. Pic by Kenny Mackay.

In a statement released on Thursday evening, the governing body said that, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, all football in the country, both domestic and professional, remains suspended “indefinitely”.

It continues to seek clarity on when it can resume and backs clubs who are trying to make informed decisions on training and work schedules and well as operating their stadia.

The statement added: “For the benefit of planning, the Scottish FA confirms that football in Scotland will not resume before 30 April.

“The medical advice is that we will not have reached the peak of the coronavirus epidemic in this country by then and the escalating measures which restrict the ability to play football matches will likely remain in force.

“The progress of COVID-19 remains uncertain for the whole country, but we are maintaining daily dialogue informed by the latest government and UK Medical Officers advice, to provide reassurance that the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority, along with the survival of clubs.”

The Scottish FA is supportive of UEFA’s postponement of EURO 2020 until 11 June 2021 but has already indicated there is a limit to what can be done to prepare for the UEFA Nations League play-off match against Israel at Hampden Park, provisionally scheduled for June this year.

It remains ambitious to believe that the match will go ahead as scheduled.

It remains Scottish football’s intention to begin the 2020-21 season as soon as is practicably possible later this year.