Nicola Sturgeon was today asked about the latest breach of the Covid restrictions by theRangers players with the journalist reminding the First Minister that she had previously issued a yellow card against the game in Scotland and asked if she was now ready to produce a second yellow and the inevitable red card that follows.
News broke yesterday about the latest breach from Ibrox players with reports ranging from two to five players being involved. The Ibrox club, founded in 2012 by Charles Green, was forced to issue a statement confirming the incident and saying that they intended to investigate themselves.
TheRangers have currently played 29 games, one short of the 30 matches Celtic played last season when the league was suspended due to Covid. Therefore the threshold has not been reached and there would also be a moral hazard in awarding a title to the Ibrox club given that it was their own breaches that ended the season due to a Government enforced suspension.
Last year Celtic – and every other club – were entirely blameless for the season ending early. This time the straw that broke the camel’s back was a blue one from Ibrox and it would be incredible if they were allowed to claim a title not won due to their own selfish players and their repeated reckless actions as the rest of the country is having to endure very severe lockdown restrictions.
It would appear that Null & Void could be the only alternative if clubs do not agree that theRangers covid breaches should not be a valid reason for awarding them a title. This season has been a farce from start to finish with Aberdeen, Celtic (through Bolingoli’s Spanish away day) and the repeat offenders theRangers all coming in for criticism from the First Minister. To be clear, the First Minister’s criticism of theRangers came today – after their players’ last party was raided by Police the Scottish Government actually COMMENDED the Ibrox club which was founded in 2012 by Charles Green.
The arguments about Null & Void were all made last year, from memory theRangers fans seemed very keen on the idea and argued that no title could be awarded if tit had not been won. Despite the heated debate no-one could say that the actions of one club caused the league to stop last season. This time it is different. Celtic and Aberdeen can be blamed for the first yellow card but if Nicola Sturgeon looks at the evidence as she promised to do today then surely she will have no alternative but to bring out a second yellow and show Scottish Football the Red Card?
TheRangers knew that the game were on a yellow and they have already used their ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card’ after the first Party breach. Now they can have no-one to blame but themselves for the season ending early and the inevitable decision that will follow to Null & Void the season entirely.
If the game is suspended due to the latest breach of the lockdown rules by theRangers players and the title is awarded to them there will at least be some consistency. This will be a title that they haven’t won being added by them to the 54 titles that their club – founded by Charles Green in 2012 – certainly didn’t win and stay tuned for more on that particular story this week.