Iain McMenemy: Project restart’ to get football going seems a bit too rushed

Plan to resume so soon feels like it’s to suit broadcasters, which means it is all just about money

It is important that the fans should have a voice when possible reconstruction solutions are being discussed. Picture: SNS

Although there are no matches being played, football still seems to be talked about just as much.

South of the Border, the talk is around “Project Restart”, the ambitious plan to get football going again in a matter of weeks. Whilst the full details of the plan are yet to emerge, most likely because they are yet to be developed, the plan is likely to involve televised games behind closed doors, therefore, without any fans allowed in the stadium.

Part of me thinks that it would be great to see the game return, but I can’t get away from the famous words of Jock Stein: “Football is nothing without fans”. However, that is perhaps the price we will all eventually have to pay to get football going again.

But is it too soon? Already some players are voicing their concerns about being asked to train and play whilst this virus continues to infect at current rates. The idea of players in masks is probably the most ludicrous of the suggestions to emerge. I’ve also seen figures quoted of £200,000 per team to fund a player testing regime to ensure they are free of COVID-19.

It all seems a tad rushed to me. Football is a sport, it’s a competitive game between two teams that is designed to entertain its fans. It feels like this plan is only to appease the broadcasters, so in fact it’s football for money, not for fans.

Why not wait just a little longer. Once we have the science that supports a position where we are well and truly defeating the virus, then we can get back to football. I concede that this may yet involve playing behind closed doors, but if we have reduced the infection and reproduction rates of the virus, it is safer for players, staff, coaches and the large support team that ensures games go ahead. I hope that is the approach we take in Scotland. But ultimately I hope that we can get back to playing in front of fans before too long.

Football fans also made their voice known this week with the publication of the results of their survey into league reconstruction. Their message was loud and clear. 70 per cent of supporters say they want proper reconstruction as opposed to a quick fix for one season. 84 per cent of fans want to see an end to playing the same opposition four times a season, with a clear preference for enlarged divisions up to 14 or 16 teams. I hope football will listen.

I previously advocated a seat at the reconstruction working group table for supporters. That obviously didn’t happen. However, I understand that the working group has committed to seek opinion from supporters’ groups. That is a positive and I commend Les Gray for making that happen. I’d hope that their views are properly considered and help shape the future of the game.

Football will return and let’s hope it has a fresh format. More importantly, let’s hope that all clubs get through these difficult times. Club finances are taking a hammering and uncertainty hampers the ability to plan ahead.

The continual in-fighting within the SPFL does us no favours either. I’ll refrain from picking sides, and instead I’ll just hope that it ends soon. There are bigger issues out there to worry about and I’d rather we spent our time focusing on ensuring the survival of our clubs, and the eventual return of our game.

There are clearly issues that need to be addressed within our league structures but these should be dealt with in a constructive environment. Any member club should feel empowered to criticise and raise issues of concern, and the league executive should be ready to respond with transparency, openness and a desire to seek resolution.

We have to accept a degree of self-interest in a members organisation in which each member is a club that competes against other clubs. But there are times when we have to also find common ground.

I was invited to take part in a Lowland league podcast this week. The invitation arose as a result of concerns in the Lowland/Highland leagues that their champions have lost out on access to the SPFL playoffs this season due to the season ending prematurely. So at the moment, this means that the reconstruction route is the only one open to them to progress into the SPFL. If that route is closed off too, then that would clearly be a disappointing outcome, but unfortunately, it is one that could happen.

I faced some tough questions, from supporters of teams in the Lowland League who have every right to feel aggrieved. But there are no solutions that satisfy all concerns. There is no structure that fixes everything. There will be losers somewhere along the line. Self-interest and self-preservation will be factors in the debate, there is no point pretending otherwise.

Lowland and Highland League supporters want their interests honoured, so will SPFL club supporters. All of this is before the politics and financial interests that exist in football rear their ugly head too. But while there are these big issues that cause division, there are many others where we have common ground.

We might not get everything fixed right away. The issues that remain when this is all over are hopefully things we can try to pick back up and address at a future point. The virus is here for a while yet, and our way of life will be adversely impacted for some time. Football will be back, but as only one small part of society that will need to find its new way, and that’s something we shouldn’t lose sight of.

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