SPFL suspends League One and below

EDINBURGH: The Scottish Football Association board has suspended professional football beneath SPFL Championship level for three weeks due to the escalating coronavirus situation.

The Scottish Premiership will be exempt from the suspension, provided it continues to adhere to the stringent testing protocols, and the Championship will also be able to continue provided it commences weekly PCR testing.

Rod Petrie, Scottish FA president, said: “The Scottish FA is well aware of the efforts all clubs take to comply with the exacting protocols that were conditional on elite football being given an exemption to continue amid the pandemic.

“Nonetheless the continuation of football at all levels has weighed increasingly heavy on me as president, my colleagues on the board and the Joint Response Group as we have watched the new strain of the virus spread rapidly.

“While the national sport has been afforded the privilege of elite sporting exemption, the risk of mass transportation of untested, largely part-time players is something that cannot be sustained as the cases continue to rise and available hospital beds become increasingly scarce.

“After discussions with the SPFL, the Premiershipand Championship will continue on the proviso that both adhere to the existing testing regime.“The vast majority of teams in those divisions are full-time professional clubs and so the risk of transmission remains manageably low.