UEFA have delivered a warning to the SPFL that Null & Void isn’t an option for deciding the 2019/20 season.
One club and a handful of media pundits have been lobbying for that option in a final desperate bid to stop Celtic winning their ninth successive title.
At the turn of the year a thrilling battle was expected with just two points between the two Glasgow clubs but when the season was suspended on March 13 the gap at the top had been stretched to 13 points.
Over 30 matches Neil Lennon’s side have dropped just 10 points, since returning from their winter break in Dubai Steven Gerrard has watched his side lose out to Kilmarnock, Hearts and Hamilton who are all in the bottom half of the SPFL Premiership table.
Null & Void has become the last resort for the usual suspects but yesterday their paper-thin credibility was blown apart when the Belgian Pro League announced that Club Brugge would be their 2019/20 champions after 29 matches have been played.
Covering the UEFA warning The Sun reports:
Declaring the 2019-20 season null and void has always been the last resort for chief exec Neil Doncaster because TV firms could be entitled to money back.
But SunSport can reveal European football’s governing body have now made it clear they’re also dead against that course of action for sporting reasons.
Euro beaks have no intention of making decisions on which teams should be crowned champions or be relegated in individual nations.
That means the Hampden hierarchy faces a tough call on whether to resume the season, declare Celtic champions or void the entire campaign.
But it’s understood strong “recommendations” have been made to the SPFL that they do NOT rule the season effectively didn’t happen.
And Uefa have hinted any decision to void the season would have an impact on teams being allowed to compete in next season’s Champions League and Europa League.
In a letter sent to football associations, UEFA warned: “We believe that any decision of abandoning domestic competitions is, at this stage, premature and not justified.
“Since participation in UEFA club competitions is determined by the sporting result achieved at the end of a full domestic competition, a premature termination would cast doubts about the fulfilment of such condition.”
Since the suspension of football on March 13 the SPFL haven’t made any comments with all statements coming from their Joint Response Group with the SFA.
