Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell has dismissed the idea of clubs forfeiting league matches if they can’t fulfill them this season.
Former Rangers defender Maurice Ross was speaking to BBC Sportsound last night where he made the following remark:
“I think there needs to be a law change. If you can’t fulfill a fixture, tough, three points.”
Celtic were ordered by the Scottish Government to postpone two games back in August due to Boli Bolingoli’s breach of public health guidance. Those were games against St Mirren and Aberdeen respectively. The former has already been played with the Hoops winning 2-1, whilst the latter has still to be carried out.
And Kettlewell has hit back at Ross’ forfeit idea – one that would’ve seen Celtic drop three points to the Buddies had it been in place at the start of the season.
As quoted by the Evening Express, Kettlewell said: “That would be exceptionally harsh. I don’t think there’s any club in Scotland who’s actively trying to catch a deadly virus. We did have a few setbacks in the early weeks but Scottish football in general has learned a lot of lessons from that.
“We speak about us all having wives who work and kids at school, so there’s any number of ways that the virus can be passed about. We talk to our players about avoiding situations like coffee shops or the high street where you can’t control your social distancing or who you’re surrounded by.
“There really does need to be some common sense. The deduction of points could have a massive impact on people’s seasons and livelihoods come the end of the season.”
Clubs can’t be punished for following government procedure
Considering the need to push through cup competitions, you can understand why clubs who choose not to play their fixtures have to forfeit the game. But it’s a massively different matter when it comes to the Premiership.
As Kettlewell says, a club can follow all of the procedures put to them by the SFA and Scottish Government. However, if they have an outbreak due to external reasons that seep into their training ground, then it could be that they have to postpone certain fixtures.
The last thing that should happen is that club being told that they’re losing points because of it. Imagine if it came in a two-week period where a club has four league games crammed in. Should they lose 12 points automatically? That could be enough to lose a league title or be relegated from the competition.
The County manager is spot on to highlight that this can have a massive effect on livelihoods. Not just on the footballers either, but for those who would lose their jobs due to staff cuts. There is so much to look at here before you start swinging the axe and demanding a club forfeit games.
For a start, it would’ve meant that St Mirren beat Celtic earlier on this season despite the fact everyone bar one player followed procedure. It’s hardly fair to punish the whole club for it.
Thankfully it doesn’t look like a rule that’s going to come to pass anytime soon. It would create one of the most ridiculous precedents Scottish football has ever had.
In other news, a BT Sport pundit has pointed the finger at one Celtic star; claims he’s let down Neil Lennon this season.
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