The covid shutdown for lower league football in Scotland has also had a massive impact on the Scottish Cup, which is set to impact on Rangers.
Last week, Ibrox was due to host Cove Rangers in the third round of the flagship competition but that was postponed.
The fourth round date has now been taken up by a full set of Scottish Premiership fixtures and a Hampden summit in the coming days is set to thrash out a solution to the fixture pile-up that has unfolded.
It has now been reported today that ’emergency Scottish Cup crisis talks are under way’.
“Crisis talks are under way in an urgent bid to prevent the plug being pulled on this season’s Scottish Cup.”
“Emergency discussions have taken place over the last two days between the SFA and the SPFL as fears grow that fixture congestion caused by the ongoing coronavirus lockdown measures may mean the competition cannot be played to completion as scheduled, with this year’s final set for Hampden on May 8.”
“It’s expected that a final decision will be announced next week with a number of radical options currently being examined, including a ‘worst case scenario’ which would see this season’s competition being effectively abandoned for the time being and then re-started after the summer.”
That worst case scenario would be really bad for Scottish football, following the silly precedent that was set this season with last term’s Scottish Cup final being played to a finish just before Christmas.
There is currently 44 teams still in the running for 32 third round places.
On top of this and more importantly, the two dates for the 3rd and 4th rounds have been taken up with three 2nd round ties still to be played. Bedlam.
Solutions
The report continued, “a complete contingency overhaul of this season’s competition is now required.”
“This could include the creation of a ‘Scottish Cup festival of football’, with as many as three rounds of matches being crammed into a ten day window ahead of the planned semi final dates on April 10 and 11.”
“But such a plan could only be rubber-stamped if enough room can be made in the fixture list for all league matches to put on pause, in order for the cup matches to catch up.”
With Hampden due to host Euro 2020 games in June, the Scottish Cup Final has been brought forward to 8th May prior to matchday 38 of the Premiership season on 15/6th May.
Can’t the SFA consider the thought of taking the semi’s and final to Ibrox, Parkhead and Murrayfield or elsewhere in order to give the schedule some breathing space?
It is said that there should be a definitive answer by next week, hopefully anything but the adsurdity of ‘two Scottish Cups’ next season.
Given Rangers superb Premiership form, this disruption is unlikely to have any significant effect on the procession to the title over the next 5/6 weeks.