CELTIC MUST WAIT FOR IT: SPFL RESOLUTION DELAYED

THE SPFL’s resolution to end the season in three divisions – and potentially the Premiership – rests on just one Championship club which has yet to vote.

Scotland’s governing league bosses met today to consider the responses to the proposals put forward on Wednesday.

They had hoped the ballot among the 42 clubs would have met the 5pm deadline, but there has been a delay and a spokesperson for the SPFL said they would “provide an update as soon as we are in a position to do so”.

That resolution would see the immediate end to the Championship, League One and League Two seasons, as well as the right for the SPFL board to decide the Premiership on a point-per-game basis if the coronavirus pandemic prevents the resumption of football.

Were that to happen, Celtic would be declared champions for the record-equalling ninth successive season and bottom side Hearts would be relegated to the Championship.

The game went into cold storage in the middle of last month with the Hoops 13 points ahead at the pinnacle of the top flight with only eight games to play.

The body received 39 responses as of five o’clock this evening, with EIGHTY-FIVE per cent in favour of the resolution – but three clubs have yet to make their stance known.

The SPFL said 10 of the Premiership outfits voted in favour, with just one against. Nine supporting votes are needed in that division.

Hearts owner Ann Budge had hoped other clubs would join them in voting down the resolution

Hibs confirmed their support for the resolution, but expressed “sympathy for those clubs who will be detrimentally affected”.

Eight votes are needed in the Championship and the current figure is one adrift of that figure, with seven for and two against.

Across League One and Two, the 15 votes required to pass the motion were met despite one club failing to vote. The SPFL recorded 16 votes in favour and three against at that level.

A spokesperson for the SPFL said: “It is very important that clubs consider carefully the resolution and we are grateful to those clubs who have voted already.

“With the Ladbrokes Premiership and Ladbrokes Leagues 1 & 2 divisions each having approved the resolution, we await the voting slip from the one Ladbrokes Championship club that has yet to vote.

“We will provide an update as soon as we are in a position to do so.”

It’s now a question of remaining patient before the inevitable decision is made for Neil Lennon’s men to collect the club’s 51st flag in their history.