Football without fans is nothing – yet it seems the authorities which run Scottish football seem to have forgotten that.
How else can you explain the ludicrous events which resulted in farcical scenes across the country?
It was a week of yellow and amber warnings being issued on a daily basis so the SPFL cannot say they were caught unaware by the chaos which unfolded on Saturday.
We all knew Storm Bert was coming and an amber weather warning was issued on Thursday for Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeenshire, Highland and Argyll and Bute.
This warning followed yellow warnings which had already been issued for parts of the country.
The message from Police Scotland was clear. Superintendent Vinnie Fisher, deputy head of road policing, said: “All road users should consider whether they really need to travel in adverse weather.”
In a week where parents had been checking to see whether their children’s school was closed or opening later, or whether school transport was operating, in football it seems warnings are trivial affairs best ignored.
Saturday was farcical
The postponement of Elgin’s home game against Clyde was announced on Friday. It was the only game where an early and entirely sensible decision was made.
What followed was ridiculous.
We had it all from pitch inspections, late call-offs and rearranged kick-offs with little more than an hour’s notice to team buses getting into difficulty trying to get to games.
Throughout it all, the interest of fans was completely ignored.
Someone at the SPFL needs to explain why a game of football going ahead is more important than the risk to those who make the game what it is.
Why are there no protocols in place if the advice is not to travel unless absolutely necessary. And no, a game of football does not come into the ‘absolutely necessary’ category ever.
That may be a bone of contention for the football die-hards – and let’s be honest, anyone prepared to make a trip to watch a game on Saturday comes into that category – but even if you were willing to go the customer service was appalling.
It was past noon before Queen of the South’s home game against Caley Thistle was postponed. If you are a Caley Jags fan, you were well on your way to Palmerston Park when you heard that news.
And what about poor old Stenhousemuir? They were stuck in the snow at Broxden roundabout on their way to Balmoral Stadium only to find out the game was called off due to public safety.
Then there’s the fans who went to Ibrox to watch Rangers face Dundee United or to Paisley to see Aberdeen face hosts St Mirren.
The kick-off time for the Rangers game was moved to 3.45pm as Dundee United had been delayed in getting to Glasgow due to the conditions.
Aberdeen’s game was delayed an hour due to the snow and subsequent pitch inspection required.
This cannot happen again
Clearly the weather was horrific, hence why the warnings were issued in the first place. Nobody can say they didn’t know it was coming.
Jokes about Bert and Ernie were made all week due to the naming of the storm. But it’s the powers that be in Scottish football who were the real muppets in this sorry affair.
By effectively putting their fingers in their ears and ignoring what was coming they put players and fans at risk. As a customer service exercise it was appalling.
It cannot be allowed to happen again.
If rules are not in place to govern events like the ones which unfolded then that in itself is unforgivable.
If action is not taken now to ensure this doesn’t happen again then it’s downright negligent.
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