This season’s Scottish Cup is now in major doubt with lower league football remaining suspended for at least another month.
Celtic are looking to win the trophy for the fifth year running but have yet to begin their defence in the competition with a Second Round tie at home to Arbroath or Falkirk still to be played.
League One leaders Falkirk haven’t played since January 2. Today it was announced that League One, League Two and the feeder leagues won’t resume with a further update/announcement due on March 1.
The SPFL have already used two weekends set aside for the cup competition but with the leagues to be finished by mid-May followed by play-offs they face a race against time if they get the go-ahead to starts again next month. Falkirk have only played 11 of their 27 League One fixtures.
This afternoon the SFA announced:
In recent weeks, the Scottish FA has engaged extensively with clubs and leagues affected by the suspension of professional football across the men’s and women’s game to discuss tailored return to playing plans for implementation when it is considered safe and appropriate to resume.
We have also remained in regular dialogue with Scottish Government to ensure their input into and ultimately approval of those proposed plans.
Regrettably, the government has today confirmed that – in cognisance of the current restrictions in place across the country – they cannot currently commit to return dates for those affected leagues in the coming weeks.
We will continue to speak with all parties in the meantime and will provide a further update by 1 March. This date should not be seen as a proposed restart date, however it should help provide some clarity to affected clubs to aid their planning over the short term.
The Scottish Cup Final is scheduled to be played at Hampden on the second weekend of May but with the lower league fixtures well behind schedule it looks impossible to finish the competition on time. The quarter finals have been scheduled for March 13 with the semi-finals due on April 10 and 11.
Last season the SFA had three matches left to play when football was suspended on March 13 but this season the bulk of the tournament has still to be played with Premiership clubs yet to kick a ball in the Scottish Cup.
In last season’s competition Celtic reached the semi-final by beating St Johnstone on March 1 thanks to a free-kick from Ryan Christie.
