Coronavirus shuts down all football in Scotland

Published 13th Mar 2020
Last updated 13th Mar 2020

All professional and grassroots football in Scotland has been suspended due to coronavirus.

It includes all this weekend's fixtures - despite a ban on large gatherings north of the border not coming in until Monday.

The Scottish FA said the decision is in the interests of the health and safety of players, match officials, staff, supporters and the general public.

Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus amongst players in Scotland, but given the nature of the outbreak it seems "only a matter of time'' until there are.

Football finance expert Neil Patey believes the shutdown could be costly for a number of Scottish clubs.

"Any on the day ticket sales, any match day sponsorship, any other match day revenue is hugely important to Scottish clubs," he said

"Were that to not come in for the rest of the season, that is certainly going to be a significant financial hit for Scottish football clubs."

Hear all the latest news from across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk on Forth 1. Listen on FM, via the Rayo app, on DAB or on your smart speaker.