The SFA’s haphazard approach to testing has been highlighted again with news that two more staff members from the u-21 squad have returned positive tests.
Following the match in Greece David Turnbull, Ross McCrorie and Robbie McCrorie returned to their clubs and tested positive.
On Friday night Ibrox starlet Lewis Mayo played for Dunfermline against Hearts with news of the three positive tests breaking late on Friday with the SFA making a statement on Sunday lunchtime.
As luck would have it Ryan Porteous wasn’t a close contact and was clear to play against Celtic, Aberdeen were less fortunate with Lewis Ferguson and Connor McLennan identified as close contacts, forced into 14 days self-isolation and missing their match at Ibrox.
?BREAKING: Scotland’s under-21 backroom team have been retested with two more staff members recording positive COVID tests.
Scotland women’s head coach Shelley Kerr has been identified as a close contact and will miss their upcoming Euro qualifiers as she has to self-isolate. pic.twitter.com/TlI3xUvufF
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) November 23, 2020
With little information shared it is possible that the two staff members were in close contact with others since returning from Greece on Wednesday.
Back in August Ian Maxwell and Rod Petrie refused to travel to Prague, in October Ryan Christie was forced into self-isolation despite protesting that he wasn’t a close contact while an u-19 international against England was abandoned at half-time after coach Billy Stark was informed of a positive test.
Maxwell is on the Joint Response Group for Scottish football, in regular contact with the Scottish Government.
On Monday afternoon the SFA stated:
As part of that investigation process, the entire backroom team were retested over the weekend and we can confirm that two further positive tests had been returned. None of the backroom staff have been symptomatic at any point.
In reviewing the aircraft and bus manifests, five further close contacts have been established from the backroom team and they are also now self-isolating. No additional players were identified as close contacts.
During the process, it also came to light that the Scotland Women’s Head Coach, Shelley Kerr was identified as a close contact of one of the new positive cases, despite following physical distance guidelines and protocols late last week.