Next month’s Glasgow derby could be a victim of new Scottish Government Lockdown legislation.
Despite the apparent success of two test events at Ross County and Aberdeen last weekend there are no plans for any follow up events.
Over the weekend the Scottish Government were considering new measures to contain the pandemic, last night it was announced that pubs and restaurants in England will close at 10pm from Thursday.
The opening paragraph in a Daily Mail story is picked up by BBC Scotland:
Scottish football chiefs are anxiously awaiting the green light for next month’s first Old Firm clash of the season- after the threat of temporary lockdown raised fresh doubts over the SPFL’s showpiece fixture.
Since July Celtic have been trying to stage a test event but have so far failed to make a convincing case to the Scottish Government.
Football and rugby have been given special privileges due to the testing regimes that they have in place but every step has been agreed with the Scottish Government.
Postponing the Glasgow derby would create a massive reaction but it could be justified by discussing the issues around the fixture.
If pubs are open on October 17 they are bound to be busy and tempted to take short cuts to maximise income on the back of the bleakest period of business in living memory.
The Joint Response Group are bound to put up a case for fixtures to continue but as the Boli Bolingoli case illustrated the football authorities have little clout when dealing with a Government determined to send out a message.