CELTIC will discover tomorrow when their Scottish Cup fourth round tie at Ibrox will be played.
The SFA are in talks about the possibility of a switch with the match against Steven Gerrard’s outfit due to kick off on Saturday at 4pm, one hour after the commencement of the funeral procession for the Duke of Edinburgh who passed away on Friday at the age of 99.
The derby will almost certainly be rescheduled to prevent a clash of events, as CQN reported last night.
The situation has created a massive headache for the SFA who face moving ties around to deal with the complication.
UP FOR THE CUP…Callum McGregor and Scott Brown with the silverware after the quadruple treble success on December 20.
With the national competition already hit by Covid delays, the football calendar is congested and will reduce the scope of the Hampden bosses to move the Ibrox encounter – and other games due on Saturday – to a date away from the weekend.
CQN understands the match WILL go ahead on Saturday with the kick-off being pushed back an hour or so.
Moving to Sunday could also be a consideration, but that may not be welcomed by satellite broadcasters Premier Sports who will certainly prefer the match to be played 24 hours earlier. Their advertising promotion for the Glasgow head-to-head is still showing the original day and date.
This season, the Scottish Cup-ties are being played to a conclusion with extra-time and penalties, if required. There is no room for manoeuvrability and the Final will not be moved from the May 22 date.
SCREEN GEM…Premier Sports advertising logo still advertising the game on Saturday with the show starting at 3pm.
The delayed Euro 2020 Championship are due to start on June 11 and football’s ruling bosses will insist on all domestic tournaments throughout Europe are concluded on the due dates.
Keeping the tie on Saturday is the logical choice if agreement can be reached with all parties. There is a midweek round of Premiership fixtures to follow, with the quarter-finals due to be played on the weekend of April 24.
Sunday is a possibility, but Aberdeen’s clash with Livingston is scheduled to be shown that afternoon on Premier Sports at 2pm. Five other ties would also have to be moved.
The clubs will be told tomorrow, but there appears no scope for a switch away from the weekend with a later kick-off on Saturday a common sense decision.
CELTIC 6 LIVINGSTON 0: THE JOY OF SIX AS HOOPS HIT A HIGH
