CELTIC’S Premiership game at St Mirren tomorrow night is ON – after the SPFL bosses booted out a request by the Paisley side to have the fixture postponed.
Jim Goodwin is struggling to field a full side after Covid ravaged his squad, but their plea to have the match called off – as well as their Boxing Day trip to Ibrox – was snubbed by the football authorities.
The Saints gaffer has been informed he still has enough players available to fulfil the date with Ange Postecoglou’s Premier Sports League Cup-winning men – unless the situation worsens significantly overnight.
Under emergency SPFL rules, games must take place as scheduled if any stricken club still have enough performers at its disposal to draw from a squad of 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper.
Celtic have called for the January winter break to be brought forward and this will be discussed later this evening as the Scottish game suffers the news of stunning attendance levels cut back to a mere 500 spectators, as CQN reported earlier today.
A statement read: “The Joint Response Group sympathises with clubs and supporters across the country following today’s confirmation by the First Minister that Scottish football will again be subject to restrictions on stadium capacity.
“From Boxing Day and for three weeks thereafter, football attendances will be capped at 500 people in line with all outdoor events. One metre physical distancing will also be required within a stadium during that time.
“The JRG is already in discussions with Scottish Government on behalf of clubs to ensure any loss of income at this critical period will be compensated via the COVID-19 support fund announced by the First Minister.
“The JRG will be holding a series of consultations about the impact of the new restrictions over the next 24 hours.
“The JRG has worked collaboratively with Scottish Government throughout the pandemic to ensure the stadium environment can be a safe and enjoyable experience for all, including the recent introduction of vaccine certification spot checking and asking supporters to demonstrate a negative Lateral Flow Test prior to arrival.
“A daily testing regime has been introduced across the Scottish Professional Football League and enhanced protocols implemented for playing and team staff.
“Equally, we aware of the threat of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus and, to that end, have volunteered the use of stadia across the country to aid the vaccine and booster jab programmes.
“”We appreciate the tough decisions faced by the government and clinicians in suppressing the transmission of Omicron and while we believe the mitigations implemented will have enabled stadia to be as safe as possible for the two weeks prior to the winter break, we have no control over the transport risks highlighted in today’s update.”
Celtic – and their supporters – now await an answer to their request to a winter break rescheduling.
The January 2 match against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox club is scheduled to be beamed live by Sky Sports News and the satellite broadcaster’s thoughts will have to be taken into the equation before a final decision is announced.
