Scottish football suspension extended until mid February

EDINBURGH: Scottish football beneath the Championship will remain in lockdown for another two weeks at least, the Scottish Football Association has announced. Hampden bosses confirmed on January 11 they had decided to postpone action in League One and League Two – plus the Highland and Lowland Leagues and women’s football – in response to the latest spike in coronavirus cases across the country.

Now, with Scotland still in the midst of a national lockdown, those measures have been extended to February 14.

The third round of the Scottish Cup – originally scheduled for Saturday – has also been put on hold again, with its planned return date of February 20 now set to be used by Scottish Professional Football League chiefs to fulfil outstanding league games. The SFA made its announcement following talks with lower league chairmen.

“Given that current lockdown measures implemented by the First Minister will now remain in place across Scotland until at least the middle of February, the existing temporary suspension of football will be extended until midnight on Sunday, 14 February.

“This affects leagues with predominantly part-time clubs – although a number of full-time clubs have been affected. The Scottish FA will continue to work with those affected to develop league and division-specific plans for a return to training and playing, including adequate training and conditioning time.”