The Scottish Football Association have formed a coronavirus response group after the first confirmed case on Scottish shores.
The chief executive of the national game’s governing body, Ian Maxwell, that of the Scottish Professional Football League, Neil Doncaster, and the Scottish FA’s Medical Consultant, Dr John MacLean, all feature on the group.
This specially-formed response group will have jurisdiction to consider fixture rescheduling, postponement or any other measures in the wake of a virus outbreak.
The SFA statement states that at the group’s first meeting, the group has “committed to a joint approach to ensure consistent and co-ordinated messaging to supporters, clubs, national teams, players, match officials, staff and other key stakeholders potentially affected by the escalation of the outbreak.”
Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive, said: “We are in regular dialogue with our counterparts in England and leagues in Europe to share news and best practice on what is clearly a serious and concerning situation.
“At the moment, there have been no indications that match schedules will be affected, but we are monitoring events closely and liaising with the Scottish Government to ensure we are as well prepared as possible.
“Together with the Scottish FA, we will co-ordinate the game’s response to the challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak in a responsible and planned manner. We will obviously update clubs and fans on any developments.”
Obviously, the situation will directly affect Rangers and their supporters should the number of cases in Scotland escalate.
Football, and sports in general, are being so closely monitored due to their popularity amongst the general public and the swell of crowds which attend matches.
It’s not the first time there has been a discussion on how the coronavirus will impact the goings-on at Rangers either.
Steven Gerrard revealed Rangers were holding a meeting on the subject last week after the news Newcastle United have altered a daily handshake routine due to the outbreak [Guardian].
An outbreak of the virus in Germany was also said to be threatening Rangers match with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in the Europa League [Telegraph].
