ONE club has called for the Scottish Premiership season to be declared null and void. That club we believe is Hearts who currently stand to lose the most out of the imminent announcement, expected perhaps as early as today that the league season is over and that the current positions in the league are final for the 2019-20 season.
That of course means that Celtic, today or over the next few days, will be officially crowned as Scottish Champions for a ninth season in a row, the second time that the club has reached such a remarkable achievement.
The ninth title would have been in normal circumstances celebrated more than the previous eight, simply because of the extra significance that 9-in-a-row has within the Scottish game. And next season was set to be even bigger. Now though the ball is burst until further notice and out title win will be announced via a press release and celebrated online an by Celtic families in their own homes and in the workplace.
For Hearts the plan to relegate them is harsh in the extreme, although if there is to be no emergency reconstruction to ensure greater fairness then that is exactly what will happen.
The sympathy that we have with Hearts – and The Celtic Star proposed a solution on Saturday morning, anticipating this injustice – ends when they start to go down the null and void route, that has transfixed the stop the Nine merchants such as Alex Rae.
You suspect though that that clown was just playing the the crowds and it’s not actually the Rangers who are calling for the league to be made null and void. No wonder.
Null and void effectively means that the season never happened and some – not all – of the consequences would include
*No prize money for any of the clubs
*All clubs being open to full season ticket refunds
*All clubs being open to claims from away supporter refunds for games attended at their stadium
*Broadcaster payments will be null and void for a null and void season and they will face refund demands from their own customers.
In short the game would be ruined by such madness, demanded only out of self interest.
Yet Hearts have a point and the SPFL and SFA should take heed of the advice we sent them on Saturday morning.
Make Celtic Champions – the lead was 13 points having played a game more than the Rangers. No-one was saying that the title race was still on before the crisis.
Promote Dundee United and Inverness Caley Thistle and amend the split to suit but it is possible to get to the same number of games.
And if the wish is to return to the states quo after next season relegate three teams next time around.
To fill the gap bring two junior sides up into the third division for a season and the bottom sides at the end of the following season can drop down again to the lower levels.
That is fair, reasonable and provides a pathway for the game. But it’ Scottish football we’re talking about and common sense is usually the first thing to go out of the window.
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— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) March 15, 2020
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— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) March 14, 2020
