SFA President Rod Petrie says Scottish football shouldn’t feel pressured by the Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ due to the major differences between the two leagues, as quoted by BBC Scotland.
On Friday afternoon, the Premier League released a statement which reasserted the commitment of shareholders to finishing the current campaign as soon as it is safe to do so.
Similar approaches are also being adopted by La Liga and Serie A.
However, three leagues have already been brought to a conclusion in Scotland and SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has discussed finishing the Premiership season on a points per game basis [Edinburgh Evening News].
Former Hibernian chairman, Petrie, says Scottish clubs and authorities shouldn’t be swayed by what is happening elsewhere.
“It’s not the model for football clubs in Scotland,” he said, as quoted by BBC Scotland. “A middle-ranking Premiership club might get four times the money through the gate as it would through the television contract.”
“So the economics don’t work, let alone whether it works as a fillip for the nation, a morale booster.”
“Would games behind closed doors be as meaningful in Scotland as they’re going to be in England?
“We need to be patient and not feel pressured by football happening elsewhere in other countries where they’ve got more resources than we have.”
Verdict
Rangers have argued that every attempt must be made to finish the season for the sake of sporting integrity, and that stance has been echoed by many Bears.
Very different noises have been made from the governing bodies of Scottish football, though, and Petrie doesn’t exactly seem convinced that playing out the remaining matches would be worthwhile.
The points made here about differing models are important, though, and there’s no doubt that bumper TV deals provide extra motivation for a swift restart elsewhere.
The joint response group is said to be creating a restart plan unique to Scotland, but those hoping for the return of football any time soon look likely to be disappointed.
